


The New Outlaw

by White_Noise



Series: The Outlaws Universe [2]
Category: Red Hood and the Outlaws, Under the Red Hood, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2012-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 03:47:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 33,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/522799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/White_Noise/pseuds/White_Noise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Feeling alone and unloved, Robin leaves Batman and the Team, only to find friendship with someone he was always told to avoid. His brother Jason Todd. yj_anon_meme AU fill.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So some people may recognise this story from over at ff.net. To cut a long story short, thanks to new rules over at that site, I have recieved several hints that my story could be deleted and have decided to move it over here, just in case. For those who have been following my Outlaws Verse, I will be posting every story here over the next few weeks. And for those people who haven't read these yet, welcome to the fun. 
> 
> So this was based off an anon post from the yj_anon_meme and the amazing art fill for the same prompt.
> 
> It was also inspired by the episode 'Failsafe' and is set as an AU taking place just after those events. Characters might be a little OOC (It is an AU) and Roy is a mix of Arsenal and Red Arrow.
> 
> Prompt: Dick’s day starts badly after a fight with Batman, gets worse after an disagreement with the team, and drops to the level of just-fucking-awful after an argument with Wally ends with said speedster claiming he regrets ever being friends with Robin. 
> 
> Feeling as if no one even wants him around anymore, Dick leaves both Batman and Young Justice to join his bat-brother Jason, also known as Red Hood, the older brother Batman never lets Dick talk about.
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice, Batman or Red Hood and the Outlaws.

There were many things 19 year old Red Hood expected to see when he made his way into the New York apartment that was the headquarters of his new team. A pissed off Roy for one. Kori and her seductive mannerisms for another. What he didn't expect to see was the two red heads staring out the window, strange looks on their faces.

Throwing his helmet onto a chair, Jason opened his mouth to ask what the hell the two thought they were doing. The vigilantly froze, his words drying up as he finally saw what had been distracting his team. A small figure was sitting on the edge of the sheer drop, ignoring the rain. Jason didn't even need to get a closer look to know who it was.

The rogue bat took a deep breath.

"How long has he been out there?" He asked aloud.

Beside him, Roy shrugged and pulled his hat off, running a gloved hand through his red hair, his masked eyes never leaving the figure.

"He was here before we arrived. We tried to talk him into coming inside but he said he was only here to talk to you." He glared over at Jason, as if to criticise the dark haired former hero.

Jason sighed. Damn. It just had to be one of those nights.

Ignoring both Kori and Roy, Jason opened the window and stepped out into the rain. The figure on the ledge turned slightly, looking at Jason for a minute. He shuddered, pulling the drenched cape closer around his small body.

Jason sighed again and stepped closer, crouching down on the ledge next to the 13 year old Boy Wonder.

"And what do I owe for this pleasant surprise?" He teased. Bruce had done everything to try and keep his two boys separate, determined that Jason's bad habits wouldn't influence Dick's young mind.

Robin glanced up at his brother, a sonic look on his face. Ok, this was not good.

Making himself comfortable and ignoring the cold water dripping down his neck and inside his jacket, Jason placed a hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Alright kid. Talk."

There was a long pause.

"How did you handle it? When Bruce kicked you out?"

Jason didn't even stop to process the question.

"Well, first of all, I didn't get kicked out, I died and secondly….what?"

It suddenly dawned on Jason. He looked down at his little brother. Dick buried his face in his folded arms, trying to curl in on himself.

"They don't want me around anymore." The teen said, his voice muffled.

Jason sighed. God dammit Bruce! What had the idiot done now?

Rising to his feet, Jason grabbed Dick's shoulder, pulling the boy to his feet as the two balanced on the ledge. Carefully, the Red Hood guided his little brother inside, ignoring the questioning look from Roy as the archer pulled Kori away. Roy at least, could see what was going on. He had been friends with both Jason and Dick for a long time and knew when the Batboys needed to have a little bit of alone time.

Pushing Dick towards the old couch, Jason quickly ducked into the kitchen and grabbed a drink, ignoring Roy as the archer bolted behind the bench.

"Get out." He growled, not bothering to wait for Roy to retreat.

Walking back to where Dick had curled up, Jason jumped onto the old piece of furnisher, causing Dick to almost bounce off. The teen glared at him before once again curling up into a ball.

Jason placed the drink on the floor.

"Go for it, Dickie Bird."

Dick sighed.

"Bruce and I had a fight today. There was a breakout at Arkham and I didn't follow his orders and went after the Riddler on my own. Bruce was so angry. He said I could follow his orders or I could get out."

Jason rolled his eyes.

"It gets worse." Dick muttered. Jason looked down at the boy. Clearly, silence was the best thing he could do right now.

"After the fight, I went to see the team."

Jason nodded. The team. Roy had told him about the team, the group of Justice League wannabes Batman had been turning into a covert operation.

"What happened?" He prompted.

"A few days ago, we did a training exercise involving an alien invasion. I had to take charge when Kaldur was killed but I made some calls the team didn't like. I…. I ordered Conner to his death and got myself and Wally trapped in an exploding space ship. We were analysing it today and everyone started to judge me. And Wally….Wally blamed me for Artemis death. He…he doesn't want to be friends anymore."

Robin was shaking, trying not to cry. Jason felt a wave of anger. He had never liked speedsters, any of them, and here was one tormenting his little brother.

"And so you came here?" The older Bat asked.

"I didn't know where else to go." Robin replied.

Jason had to stop himself pointing out that, thanks to his current lifestyle, tracking him down should be almost impossible. After all, Dick was known for doing the impossible.

There was another long pause.

"Jay, Can I stay with you?" Dick asked.

Jason looked over at the boy as Dick pulled his mask off, blue eyes looking pleadingly at him. He deflated. This was really not going to do anything for his bad boy image.

"Ok." He said.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason woke up the next morning with a start. He was lying on the cramped couch in the crummy apartment the Outlaws had hired out for their latest mission. There was a weight on his chest. Jason looked down at the mob of dark hair. Dick had fallen asleep quickly after Jason had granted permission for the teen to stay, his soaking wet costume seeping into the couch. Not wanting his little brother to get sick (After all, it was going to be enough of a pain to take care of the kid. He didn't want Dick to come down with something and make taking care of him ten times harder.) Jason had settled in beside him, sharing his body heat with the younger boy.

Even as Jason remembered the event of last night, Dick groaned, opening his eyes. Jason could see the moments of confusion before Dick remembered everything. Quickly, the boy rolled off the couch, pulling his mask back on.

It was lucky he did. At that very moment, Roy opened the door, barging into the apartment with Kori floating behind him. Both of them were in costume, taking on their other personas of Starfire and Arsenal (Roy had been trying to keep his involvement with the Outlaws a secret, doing solo hero work as Red Arrow and using the name Arsenal when he was working alongside Jason and Kori.)

"The target is on the move. We need to go now if we want to get a clear shot at this." The archer called.

Picking up Jason's mask and helmet, he threw them to the leader. Jason caught them easily, fitting the red mask over his eyes as he climbed to his feet. Dropping the helmet onto the couch, he reached down and pulled out the gun he had hidden there.

Even with his eyes covered, Jason could feel Dick's stare.

"We could use a hacker. Robin. You wanna join kiddo?"

Robin rose to his feet. Suddenly, he dived for the gun. Jason saw the movement, grabbing his little brother around the waist and blocking him.

Dick looked up at Red Hood.

"Jay, you shouldn't be using guns!" He said.

Jason grinned down at his little brother.

"Gonna stop me, Baby bird?" the older asked in a low voice.

There was another long silence.

"Todd! Quit molesting the kid and let's go!"

The brothers broke apart, Robin glaring at Roy while Jason just grinned.

"So what do you say Boy Wonder? Coming for the fun?"

Robin looked at the three Outlaws. They watched him, smiling. He grinned.

"I'm in."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin starts to realise what his choice to join the Outlaws now means. Meanwhile, Batman has discovered his little bird is missing and the team start to realise that maybe, they took Robin for granted.

'Recognise, Batman, Zero-Two.'

The mechanical voice echoed through Mount Justice, alerting all to the presence of the Dark Knight. In the training room the team fell silent, the current battle between Kaldur and Wally ending as the two teenagers disengaged, waiting for the second mechanical report.

The seconds ticked by, the teens becoming more and more nervous as the expected failed to happen. Finally, Batman stalked into the room. The Dark Knight glanced around the room, taking note of its occupants.

"Report" he growled, his voice low.

The teens glanced at each other. They had no scheduled missions or training exercises. In fact, the only reason why they had all mustered at the base that Friday afternoon with plans to stay until that Sunday morning was their desire to discuss in detail the failed VR training exercise and try to rebuild their faith in each other. Something which had become difficult when Robin had mysteriously disappeared into the Zeta Tube the night before.

Kaldur stepped forward, the leader ready to give the details of the team's activities.

"Batman, we have been acting on Black Canary's advice and training to rebuild trust between us."

Batman nodded, once again scanning the group.

"A pointless endeavour when you are missing a member. I require an explanation as to why Robin failed to report to either myself or Agent A at the agreed time of 2200 hours last night, and the secondary time of 0600 hours this morning. And to why he is not here now."

"Agent A?" Artemis asked from the back of the group, but she was promptly ignored as Wally looked up at the detective.

"What?" The Speedster asked. "I thought he was with you last night."

Batman started down at the younger hero. Wally gulped.

"According to my information, Robin never arrived in Gotham last night."

He looked around at the team again. His eyes fell on Conner, who was refusing to meet his gaze.

"Explain." He growled at the clone, knowing that the teen Kryptonian had something to say.

The whole team could see how Conner fought not to cower before the Bat. The clone's eyes scanned the rest of his team for help before finally falling on Wally.

"I tried not to eavesdrop, but I did overhear Wally shouting last night before the Zeta Beam was activated." The teenager said. He looked at Wally apologetically. "I didn't hear Robin after that."

However, Wally didn't notice the clones look, the speedster too busy studying the ground as his face turned red. He could remember all too well the argument from the night before, when Robin had come up to him wanting to discuss what had happened on the alien ship. The hacker had been pale and withdrawn for most of the team's discussions, seemingly focusing on something else and it had seemed at the time that the boy was struggling to gather his thoughts when he had sort Wally out from the group.

Wally hadn't meant too, but when the 13 year old had started talking, all Wally could remember his expressionless, almost bored look on the Boy Wonders face when Artemis had been disintegrated. Admittedly, the whole team had been like that, the mental barriers of the exercise stopping them from reacting until Megan had torn through and taken control of the situation. But still, Wally hadn't been able to fight as the rage had consumed him. His target naturally, the poor young hero before him.

Like a dam bursting, Wally had unleased all his pent up anger on the boy, all the thoughts he had concealed from Black Canary. Everything, from Artemis' death, to Kaldur's demise, from Robin's unchallenged rise to leader of the group, to the teenage hackers concealing of the truth of the aliens weapons and both Wally and Robin's own end in the death trap the mother ship had become. Everything was used in the 15 year olds furious rant.

Robin had stood frozen in front of Wally, seemingly in shock at his best friend's reaction. The silence had only added to Wally's fury and finally, the speedster had said the words he could never ever take back.

"I never wanted to be friends with someone like you!"

It had been that moment when Robin had turned and bolted to the exit. Wally had thought of following him but quickly dismissed it as the Zeta Tube announced Robin's departure, too relieved at getting everything off his chest to feel guilty at his own actions.

In fact, it wasn't until the next morning, when Robin failed to show up at breakfast, that Wally had started to reply the conversation and realise how many lines he had really overstepped. Robin hadn't made the exercise turn bad. Hell, he had done everything he could to save the mission. He had taken control, stopped the team falling apart and even managed to talk them all into the only available course of action. The boy had known he was leading his friends to their deaths, and yet he had never let the knowledge overpower him. He had stood firm just like a true leader.

Wally had no right to criticise the teenager's actions.

Torn between wanting to find Robin and beg his forgiveness and the teams need for him to be present, Wally had decided to stay with the team, planning to talk to Robin when the boy arrived for their agreed training. And then, of course the boy had failed to show up.

There had been a quick discussion between the five remaining members on what to do before Aqualad had decreed that Robin could sit this training out and the group would pay a visit to Gotham later. That was, until Batman stormed in, looking for his little bird.

Pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, Wally looked up at the Dark Knight.

"We had an argument and he left. I don't know where he went." The speedster muttered, wondering if this was going to be his last day on earth, and if his Uncle Barry would plead his case with Batman when the detective came for his blood.

Batman seemed to grow, his half hidden face becoming darker in the caves lights. Suddenly, Gotham's protector turned on his heels and strode to the exit. The team exchanged glances before turning and following him. Whatever was happening, it clearly wasn't good.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

No thoughts passed through his head as Jason worked, clearing the chamber of his AK-47. The weapon was state of the art, and the Red Hood's personal favourite. Completing his task and raising the barrel to a safe direction, Jason couldn't help but grin behind his helmet as he looked down at the lower gantry. Robin was perched on it, playing with his holographic computer and humming under his breath.

The mission had been almost too simple thanks to the Hackers sudden inclusion. The security surrounding the information the Outlaws had decided to collect was nothing compared too many of the challengers Robin was used to. Hell, they had even scrapped their planned kidnapping, realising the information their target could give them would not be needed with Robin on the team. In fact, the only real difficulty in the whole operation was Jason's mad dash across the rooftops of New York as he planted Dick's bugs in various buildings. A whole mission completed and Jason hadn't even fired a shot. The Red Hood wasn't sure why but he was happy he didn't have to use his weapons in front of his brother.

The warehouse they had now claimed for their new base was silent. Neither Roy nor Kori had been needed for the operation and had disappeared, Kori dragging Roy off to buy civilian clothes for Dick for the next phase of their plan. It was strange to see how quickly Kori had changed, from uncaring flirt to mother hen once Dick had joined the group. If Jason didn't know better, he would say the princess was getting broody around Jason's 13 year old brother.

On the lower gantry, Robin let out a sad little sigh and stood up, stretching his back.

"Getting bored kid?" Red Hood called down at him.

Robin glanced up, his face a blank mask a la Batman.

"Just thinking." He replied.

Jason shook his head.

"Yeah well, if I catch you brooding again, I'm taking away your jump line and throwing you off the nearest skyscraper."

It was a half-hearted threat, and Dick clearly knew it. The teen finally showed some emotion, grinned up at his older brother.

"You'll have to catch me first." The boy challenged, finishing the sentence with one of his insane little giggles.

Jason laughed softly. It was those kind of comments that led to him getting his ass handed to him on a regular bases back at the All Caste. Leaning an elbow on the railing, Jason started to wonder what Ducra would make of Dick. Would Jason's old teacher see the same potential in Dick that she saw in Jason years ago. It might almost be worth paying a visit if Dick ended up staying with the Outlaws. If Batman didn't try to reclaim his lost little bird.

Filing it away on his mental to do list, Jason stood up and lowered the barrel of his gun, aiming it at the wall. His gloved finger rested on the trigger.

"Jason!" Dick called up, alarm clear in his voice.

The Red Hood ignored the teen, pulling the trigger. There was a soft click as the tension was eased on the mechanics of the weapon.

Jason laughed again and raised the barrel. Reaching into his pocket, the former hero pulled out the magazine, tossing it to his baby brother.

"You have a lot to learn Dickie Bird. Starting with knowing when the safety is on."

Dick slowly relaxed, grinning up at his older brother.

Maybe, both boys thought, by helping each other they could make something positive out of their messed up lives.


	3. Chapter 3

_Pain filled gasps filled the air, echoing through the dark. A heavy thud answered, catching a muffled cry and turning it into a short scream._

_On the blood soaked stone floor, Jason gasped, trying to breathe through several broken ribs. He bit his lip, silently promising himself he wouldn't scream again as a flash of silver rose in the air. It came down, catching him on the back of the shoulder. Jason felt the crack as the bone snapped. He bit through his lip in an effort to keep the scream from escaping his torn and bloody throat as he pressed his face into the cold, wet floor._

_There was a crash as metal hit stone before footsteps walked away, somewhere out of Jason's view. Numbly, he wondered how many bones had now been broken under the ruthless assault. Groaning, Jason tried to roll over, to look for any escapes._

_A foot landed on his back, sending him back to the floor._

_"Now, now kiddo. You don't want to do that." A voice said above him. "I'm sure daddy won't be very impressed to know you've been a bad boy."_

_A sadistic laugh filled the air. A hand ruffled Jason's dark hair before the foot caught him in the ribs. Once again the footsteps retreated._

_"Oh, and tell the big guy I said hello." The voice called._

_Another laugh filled the air, cut off as a door slammed shut._

_Trying to ignore the pain, Jason rolled onto his back. He looked up at the flickering lights above his head, trying to focus on something other than the pain as he fought to catch his breath._

_Slowly Jason sat up, ignoring the black spots flashing in front of his eyes. There was a door not far from him. Slowly, he climbed to his knees and then his feet, taking an experimental step forward. He felt himself sag as pain shot through his kneecaps but he forced himself on, determine to get to the door._

_Slowly, step by the step, Jason pushed himself forward until he couldn't move anymore, collapsing heavily against the door. He reached, grabbing the handle of the door and dragging it down. The door didn't move, the lock holding it closed against Jason's diminishing strength._

_Slowly, Jason turned to rest against the door. Half-heartedly, he pushed his aching shoulders against the door. He closed his eyes, resting his head against the metal as soft beeps filled the air._

_Opening one eye, Jason glanced at around, his eyes finally falling on a device hidden in the shadows, the twisted metal and wires attached to the timer._

_Eight seconds._

_He closed his eye again._

_"Of course." He muttered before the deafening echo of the explosion ripped apart the building. Even over the sound of the explosion, Jason could hear a voice shouting._

_"Robin!"_

_"Jason!"_  
"Jay?"

Someone was poking him in the chest. Slowly, Jason opened an eye to look at the annoying bundle of energy next to him.

"What do you want Brat Wonder?" He growled.

Dick raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

"You were talking in your sleep." The teenager replied, looking his brother up and down.

"Maybe I was. But it was none of your business." Jason growled.

There was a snort from Dick's other side.

"Smooth Todd. Real smooth."

"Shut up Harper." Jason replied, glaring at the relaxing hero. Quickly he released his belt, pushing himself out of his chair and slipping past his little brother and sometimes friend.

"Where are you going?" Dick asked, slipping the hood of his new red hoodie up onto his head. Quickly, the young hero raised his feet to rest on the seat and pulled Roy's ipod out from the pocket.

"For a walk." Jason replied, deliberately not looking back.

"You are aware you are on a plane right?" Roy asked, already reaching over to take his ipod away from the teenage hacker. It occurred to Jason that Roy was a very different person when he wasn't wearing a mask. More friendly for one thing.

"Give that back you little thief." The archer muttered as Dick grinned, holding the device out as far as he could.

Jason rolled his eyes and ignored the two as he walked between the isles. Kori had taken the smart option and flown on ahead, avoiding the many hours trapped on a flying tin can that it took to get from New York to Taipei and the Outlaws new job.

The vigilante sighed and lent against the edge of the stewardess station. One of the girls stepped out.

"Drink sir?" She asked.

Jason nodded sharply.

"Sure." He muttered.

Grinning, the girl turned back to the station, pulling out several bottles.

"Family?" she asked as she worked, indicating to Jason's empty seat. Roy had put Dick in a headlock, his free hand holding onto one of Dick's wrists. In retaliation, Dick was driving his free elbow into Roy's ribcage. It looked like harmless fun but Jason knew better. He could see the well hidden flashes of pain on Roy's face as Dick repeatedly hit nerves.

"Little brother and idiot friend." Jason replied.

The stewardess laughed.

"Cute." She replied. Jason deliberately ignored her as she eyed him.

"So, are you traveling for work or pleasure?" She asked, her voice dropping to a seductive tone.

Jason glared at her.

"Work." He replied in an icy tone.

The girl didn't seem to notice the hostility. Instead she handed Jason a glass before winking at him. She turned away, disappearing behind a curtain.

Shaking his head, Jason walked back, grabbing Dick's ankle and pushing the boy out of the way as he slipped into his seat. Dick smirked at him.

"What's that?" Roy asked, leaning over Dick's head. Jason looked down at his drink. A napkin had been attached to it. Separating it from the glass, Jason looked at the hand written number.

"Todd, you dog." Roy grinned.

"Friend or not, I can still beat the crap out of you arrowhead." Jason threatened.

Roy and Dick shared a grin before relaxing back into their seats. There was a few minutes of silence before Dick piped up.

"I wonder if Cheshire is still in Taipei." He muttered aloud.

"Oh you little…"

Jason quickly pushed his headphones on, blocking out the sound. It was going to be a long fight.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The team was silent as they watched Batman work, none of the teenagers willing to draw the wrath of the Bat to them. It had been three days now since Robin had walked out on the team. Three days since he had vanished into thin air like a ghost.

Even tracking the Zeta Tube had proven ineffective, the hacker somehow having rewritten it before he disappeared. Every time Batman or Aqualad tried to trace his movements, the computers told them Robin had never left the team's home.

Batman's trackers, which were apparently a mandatory part of Robin's uniform, had also been deactivated, leaving no clues.

Black Canary had arrived soon after Batman had reported his protégé missing, determined to keep the rest of the team occupied, and if worst came to worst, act as a buffer between the teenagers and an angry Dark Knight while Batman utilised every available option for the search. Gotham's hero had set up searches on the computers and Mt Justice, the Watchtower and even the Batcave, all searching for Robin, his secret identity (Which the team still wasn't allowed to know) or anyone resembling him. It seemed it was probably the closest Batman could get to panicking.

Which was way Superman's interruption was so unwelcome. The Man of Steel didn't venture into the cave, something which could have been due to his uneasiness around Superboy or could be a survival instinct, staying out of arms reach of Batman. Instead, his face flashed up into the screen while Batman worked, causing the Detective to growl.

"What do you want?" Batman asked in a dangerous tone.

The team, who had taken to staying close to the Dark Knight in case he got a lead and needed the younger heroes to mobilise, had remained silent, but their active dislike of the Kryptonian for his dislike of their Boy of Steel, had caused them to glare at the hero. Superman seemed unfazed, his eyes fixed on Batman.

"We have a situation in New York." Superman replied.

Batman's hand slowly formed a fist as it rested on the console.

"Then handle it." He replied, turning back to his work.

"Batman." Superman tried again. "The suspect is one of yours."

Slowly, Batman turned back.

"Who?" He asked.

Superman shrugged.

"We don't know. He was flagged as one of yours but you locked the file. I'm sending you the footage we have."

Switching to another computer, Batman opened the file, ignoring the teenagers as they crowded around him to watch. The footage was grainy but a figure was visible, running across the rooftops. Quickly typing in a few commands, Batman cut out all useless information until only the figure was on screen.

He was male, dressed in black and grey with a brown leather jacket. But the most noticeable aspect of the man was the helmet. It was completely red except for the white lenses where the eyes were.

In front of the team, Batman stiffened.

"Red Hood." He muttered.

"Red who?" Wally asked.

Artemis jabbed her elbow into the speedster's ribs, causing him to wince.

"Ouch!"

"Shut up!" Artemis growled.

Batman ignored them, instead talking again.

"How many were killed?" He asked Superman.

"Killed? None." Superman replied. "However, Hawkgirl did a scan of the area earlier today and found these."

The Man of Steel held up several metal devices. They were the same size and shape of marbles and a dark grey in colour. However, a red pattern was on each of them.

Batman entered a command into the computer, causing the cameras to zoom in on Superman's hand. The devices filled the screen, showing the red 'R' on each.

"Robin!" Megan said, staring at the image in horror.

"Yes." Batman replied to the unanswered question. "These came from Robin. The question is why."

Returning the screen to normal size, Batman looked at his comrade.

"Thank you Superman. You have been very helpful."

There was an awkward silence before Superman finally asked.

"Did you just …thank me?"

Batman shut down the screen, instead turning back to his work.

"So now what?" Wally asked, suddenly losing his temper. "We have a lead, why aren't we followed it?"

"Wally." Kaldur warned. "We do not know anything yet."

"Are you kidding? Clearly Robin is in New York, being held hostage by this Red Hood! By one of your rouges!" This last comment was directed at Batman.

Batman turned to Wally suddenly, causing the speedster to back away quickly.

"You know nothing about the Red Hood, or what he would do to Robin." The Dark Knight said, his voice cold. The detective looked at the whole team before turning to Black Canary, who had quietly entered the room.

"I have business in New York. None of them are to leave until I give the all clear."

Black Canary nodded.

"Understood." She replied.

Batman turned, his cape flying out behind him as he entered the Zeta Tube.

"Hey! Wait!" Wally shouted but the Dark Knight was already gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chase is on. Batman is going after his missing kids. But he is not the only one interested in finding Robin and Red Hood.

The door crashed open, the sudden force sending it forcefully backwards into the cheap plaster behind it. Dust filled the air as the door bounced, leaving an imprint of the handle in the wall. A shadow entered the gloom of the hall, making its way silently through to the living room.

The shadow paused, white eyes scanning the room. A light flashed in the gloom, a steady beam of white bouncing off all nearby surfaces to cast a shadow over Batman. The Dark Knight pointed the torch carefully around the room, looking for clues.

Finding Jason's apartment hadn't been difficult. His oldest son hadn't been aware he would be followed and instead of covering his tracks, had used one of the many false names he had operated under while working with his former mentor. It had only taken minutes to track the lease records and address, and even less to gain enough leverage over the landlord to get him away from the area for the duration of the search.

However, judging by a brief scan of the abandoned apartment, Jason had made up for the lack of care when he had left. The rooms were spotless, no clues as to where the rogue hero had gone or what he had done to his little brother.

With a sigh, Batman lowered his torch. Really, he should have known this would happen.

The relationship between Dick and Jason had been odd. But then again, there had been a lot about Jason which had been odd, from his discovery on the streets when he was ten, to being released into Gotham as one of its heroes a year later. From the boy's sudden and brutal murder at fourteen, to his return to Gotham for revenge at sixteen.

Nothing in Jason's life had ever been normal.

Under the cowl, Bruce shook his head. Jason had been so hurt when he had learnt that Bruce hadn't avenged his death, instead letting the Joker survive. Taking the title of the Red Hood (The Jokers former alias, no less) Jason had set about implementing a new form of justice. A brutal and violent takeover of Gotham's underworld which had pitted the cities drug lords against each other and ultimately ended in the tense standoff between father and son.

Bruce still had nightmares about that night, when he had almost given in and committed murder for the sake of his oldest son.

The Dark Knight was still thankful that Dick had been at home sick during that particular incident. The boy had been ten at the time of the Red Hood's first attack and a member of the family for less than a year.

It had been Bruce's plan to take Jason to the world famous Haly's Circus the year before the young acrobat entered his life, knowing that the teenager had never been before. Jason's murder had put a halt to those plans until that fateful night, when Alfred had suggested that Bruce needed to stop grieving and try to honour Jason's memory with things the teenager would enjoy.

Bruce had got to the show heavy hearted for his dead son, and left it heavy hearted for a different reason, mainly for the nine year old orphan left clinging to him after the very public murder of his parents.

Taking in Dick had been, in a way, a step to helping Bruce grieve for Jason. The boy had helped Bruce heal even as Bruce helped the boy learn how to live after his own tragedy. Even when Dick had found the cave and discovered the secret, he had, in small ways, helped Bruce survive the guilt.

Bruce had to admit, he had rushed Dick's training, getting the boy out onto the streets before he even celebrated his tenth birthday. But it had felt good to work with a partner again, to have someone at his side. To have a son again.

When Red Hood had been revealed as Jason Todd, Batman had become fearful. How would Jason feel about Dick's sudden arrival? The teenager had already demonstrated that he was not completely sane. How would he handle Robin?

Batman didn't have to wait long. Only a few short months after their first clash, The Red Hood had struck again, kidnapping Robin and leaving a trail of chaos across the city, all in the attempt to prove to Batman that children shouldn't be crime fighters.

It had been the Red Hood's plan to make his point clear by killing Robin in front of Batman.

Even now Bruce wasn't sure what had happened in the time between Jason's threatening message and crashing into the Red Hood's secret base to find Jason laughing at something Dick had said.

It wasn't until after Batman had arrived and Red Hood had disappeared into the darkness that Robin had begun to explain what had transpired in the hours of his capture.

According to Dick, Jason had dragged him across the city, seemingly upset at his 'replacement'. The teenager kept telling Dick not to put his faith in Batman, not to trust any heroes, to run before he ended up dead. Several ancient security cameras which Jason had failed to deactivate when he took an old office block as his hideout, had captured the conversation, showing Dick apparently asking if Jason was feeling disturbed. Jason had replied that he was not disturbed, just disappointed. And Dick, with his love of the English language, had asked if dis-like is the opposite of like, what was the opposite of disappointed.

Somehow, the ten year old had baited Jason into debating him, the two arguing about words until finally, Jason relaxed, laughing and talking with his new found brother before their mentor arrived and Jason was forced to retreat.

Robin had been taken home where he had been questioned before being sent to bed. The next morning, Alfred had found a package at the door of the main hall, addressed to Dick. There had been no return address, and the security cameras hadn't shown the deliverer, but the letter 'J' had been written on the back. Bruce had confiscated the package, x-raying it to find what looked like a dictionary inside. Bruce had debated with himself whether he should give it to his son, eventually deciding it may be evidence and locking it away in the evidence vault. That night, he had tracked down Jason and warned him to stay away from Dick.

Jason had seemingly taken Bruce's words to heart, disappearing as suddenly as he had appeared. However, Bruce hadn't trusted it and sure enough, over the next few years, Jason had appeared in Gotham several times, each time to see his 'little brother'. Dick had loved it, even as Bruce had warned him to keep away from the teenage vigilante, but the two seemed to almost have a magnetic attraction to each other.

Robin's disappearance and Red Hoods sudden activity in New York were too much of a co-incidence.

Kneeling down by a damp old couch, the detective pointed the torch into the darkness. Something shone. Reaching down, Batman retrieved it. It was another of the silver and red spheres. Advanced but unnamed Wayne grade technology which had the power to disrupt electric currents from a short distance. Robin had been testing them over the last few weeks and had already begun to favour them over many of his other hacking tools.

Rising back to his feet, Batman placed the device in his belt. There was nothing the apartment, no clues, no hints to show what Jason was thinking when he took his brother and ran. But it wasn't over yet.

The moment Batman had left Mt Justice, he had called Alfred, setting his father figure and friend to search through all footage taken from the surrounding areas, to try and track his children's movements.

Like magic, the Dark Knights communicator beeped.

"Agent A, What have you found?" Batman asked, ignoring the standard greeting.

On the other end of the line, the Englishman sniffed disapprovingly. He was not pleased that the man he had raised like a son had lost another child.

"Sir, I have received footage from the city's airport. The two boys boarded a plane last night."

Batman nodded to himself.

"Where was the plane heading?" He asked.

"Taipei sir." Alfred replied.

"There is no guarantee Jason will stay in the city. I need to get there fast if I want to catch him. I will be taking the Batplane tonight." Batman said, turning his back to the room as he made his way to the door.

There was silence before Alfred spoke again.

"Sir…please bring both boys home." He asked.

Batman paused, his hand on the door. Slowly, his hand reached for the communicator hidden in his cowl.

"I will try Alfred. I promise." The Dark Knight said in a low voice before he disconnected the communicator.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My lord, I have some important news!"

The figure at the window turned, raising an eyebrow at his assistant.

"Speak." The figure replied.

The assistant nodded.

"It appears that the Detective has lost another child."

This time, the figure didn't move with calm grace. He moved suddenly, stepping away from the window to walk over to his assistant.

"Explain." He demanded, ancient eyes staring at his assistant. The assistant trembled slightly, looking down at his folder. Quickly he found what he was looking for. He held a photograph out.

"One of our agents reported sighting the boy on a plane. It appears that the Detectives latest protégé was with him."

The figure took the photograph, studying it. It showed a teenager, walking through a crowd. The angle of the photo showed his dark hair, with the distinctive white fringe. Next to him was another, shorter dark haired boy, only just out of childhood and into his teenage years. This boy was dressed in a hoodie and was wearing dark glasses. On the other side of the two, but clearly still part of the group, was a red haired teen.

"The other?" The figure asked.

"It appears that he is the vigilante who served for Luthor during the discussions in Taipei earlier this year." The assistant replied.

The figure nodded, handing the photograph back.

"Ah, yes. He was quite useful, if I remember correctly."

"My Lord, what would you like done?" The assistant asked.

The figure turned back to the window.

"When the boy came into my possession, I had Ducra train him secretly to serve the Light. When the time comes, he will be the perfect agent. However, the child is an unknown element. We could see a change in behaviour from the boy for the worst."

"Shell the child be eliminated?" The assistant asked.

The figure shook his head.

"No. We have been presented with an opportunity. To turn the Detectives second child against him and towards the Light would show our enemies that we are serious. Send a team to collect them all before the Detective decides to retrieve the child."

The assistant nodded.

"Very good My Lord." He bowed at the door before turning and leaving the room and the figure to once again stare out the large window.

Walking quickly down the hall way, the assistant stepped out into a large hall. Men dressed in black all watched the assistant as he moved around the room, finally finding who he was looking for. A man stepped forward, standing at attention. He was dressed in the same fashion as the other occupants of the room, and yet, he had the feel of a leader. The assistant held out the photograph.

"Mobilise a team to Taipei, on the orders of Lord Ras Al Ghul."


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team are finally fed up with being kept in the dark. It's time for a break out.

Silence echoed through the empty halls of Mount Justice, the usual occupants all lost in their own thoughts even as they crowded into the kitchen to try and enjoy Megan's cookies. The girl was stress baking, trying to take out all her anguish on her creations. But the rest of the team couldn't enjoy the food, all caught in their emotions.

Kaldur and Conner were feeling sorrow. The failed training simulation had been tough on all of them, but Robin was only 13 and had been forced to carry all their deaths on his shoulders as he tried to singlehandedly save the world. And neither of the older boys had thought to look into the welfare of the boy they thought of as their little brother until it was too late. They had made the most basic mistake. They had figured, since Robin had a hero longer than any of them, he was more than a 13 year old human surrounded by meta-humans. They had figured that Robin hadn't wanted or needed their support.

At the oven, Megan was trying to fight her emotions, even as she pulled out another tray of hot cookies. She had ruined the training simulation; Robin had been damaged because of her. Placing the cookies on the bench, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, trying to cover the strangled sob as it escaped from her throat. It was all her fault. Her lack of control had hurt Robin and she had never even thought of helping him heal. And now he was in danger.

Without looking, Conner reached over and took her hand in his own, giving it a quick squeeze. Behind her, Captain Marvel stepped forward. Black Canary had left to talk to this weeks 'Den Mother', leaving the Justice League member to deal with the team on his own.

Resting a hand on the green girls shoulder, the superhero tried to think of how to help the team. He looked around at the long faces.

On the other side of the room, Artemis fumed. She was angry, not at Robin for running away or being kidnapped, not at Batman for being so cryptic and refusing the teams help. No, she was angry at herself. She was a local of Gotham. She had known about the break-out at Arkham and yet she hadn't offered to help. Too worried about her own mental state after the simulation, she had decided to stay home and rest, even when she knew Robin was out on the streets, trying to keep the city calm. He had been through so much more than her, he had lived through the deaths of the whole team, and yet he had still gone out to fight when she hadn't.

Artemis may be quick to judge and quick to lie, but she couldn't lie to herself. Robin was too good a hero for one of Batman's lesser known rogues to get the jump on him unless the kid really was exhausted. And he wouldn't have been so exhausted if Artemis had pulled her own weight, instead of letting the dynamic duo take care of everything. In the female archers mind, it was her fault that Robin was gone. And she was determined to rescue him.

Next to her, Wally grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest. Unlike a normal day, it had nothing to do with Artemis being so close. The strange love/hate relationship between the two had been put aside during the hunt for their missing bird and the two had yet to pick the argument again. Instead, Wally's speedster mind was replaying over and over again, his last conversation with the Boy Wonder. The young hero still couldn't believe he had said such mean things to his best friend. To the kid who had inspired him to becoming a hero in the first place.

And he couldn't believe that Batman had cut them out of the plan to rescue Robin from the Red Hood, whoever he was.

Moving from his position suddenly, the speedster smacked his hand down on the table. Ignoring the confused looks from his teammates, the speedster closed his eyes and rested his forehead on his hand. It was his fault Robin had run away. He had bullied the younger boy and forced him to leave the cave.

Damn, he had been an idiot! All he wanted was to go and find Robin, to apologise and to try and fix the mess he had made of their friendship.

The speedster sighed; breaking the silence for a moment before it once again surrounded them. That was why all of them heard the soft sounds coming from the training room.

Like a light being switched on, the team roused themselves from their sorrow, all of them turning to Conner. The Boy of Steel concentrated hard, listening to the words only he had the ability to hear. His large shoulders dropped.

"Superman's here." He muttered.

"What is he saying?" Kaldur asked.

Superboy concentrated, his face going blank.

In the training room, the Man of Steel was talking to Black Canary.

"I shouldn't be here. I'm needed up at the Watch Tower."

"Superman, they need someone here for them. The Watch Tower can wait." Black Canary said.

"Dinah, they don't even want me here. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not their favourite person. Besides, you and Billy are here for them." The Man of Steel admitted.

"Yes, but we are not their Den Mother. You are."

There was a grumble from the Blue Boy scout.

"If you want the roster changed, you are going to have to go through Batman." Black Canary said pointedly. "But to be honest, I don't think he is willing to put up with your cowardice at the moment. Not with his son missing."

There was another pause.

"He should be in Taipei by now. I could go and talk to him…"

"No!" Black Canary growled. "You are staying here. I don't care if you hide out in the training room all day and avoid the team, but you are not leaving the mountain."

From his seat in the kitchen, Conner cringed. He had been on the losing end of arguments with Black Canary too many times already and could just imagine the look she was giving Superman. The Boy of Steel quickly replayed the conversation in his head.

Reaching out, he gently nudged the ever present link between himself and Megan, asking her to open up the group link. The girl complied, connecting everyone.

'Batman is in Taipei.' He thought.

Thanks to the open link, the Boy of Steel could feel everyone contemplate his words. Finally, Wally responded.

'Then that must be where Robin is. And where we should be.'

Next to him, Artemis nodded.

'We have been ordered to stay here.' Kaldur pointed out, the team leader once again becoming the voice of reason.

'Please! That wasn't an order. That was Batman once again keeping us out.' Artemis cut in.

'If Robin is in danger, maybe we should be there to help.' Megan stated.

'Kaldur?' Superboy asked, pleading with the leader to agree with them.

The team leader sighed.

'It appears that I am outnumbered.'

'That's great. But how do we get past him?' Wally asked, jerking his head towards Captain Marvel. The Justice League member had seated himself down and was helping himself the Megan's cookies.

'I got it.' Megan cried, standing up.

The girls face dropped until she looking like she was going to cry again. Her hand went to her mouth. Alarmed, Conner stood up but Captain Marvel beat him too it.

The hero was on his feet instantly, wrapping his arms around Megan.

"Hey. It's ok." He said, trying to calm her down.

"I'm…I'm sorry. It's just…everything reminds me of Robin." The girl stuttered.

Conner looked around, confused. At the other end of the table, Wally suddenly grinned. The speedster rested his elbows on the table before his head suddenly dropped, resting on his arms, his face now hidden. He started to shake.

"Wally?" Captain Marvel asked.

A sob came from the speedster.

'Play along.' A voice hissed through the link.

Slowly sitting back down, Conner looked around as his team mates acted, Artemis almost throwing herself into Kaldur's arms.

"I…I can't be here anymore." Megan said aloud. "We just need to get outside for a while."

Captain Marvel tightened his hold on her.

"Then why don't we go out for a while? We could go and get ice-cream." He said.

Wally raised his tear streaked face as Megan wiggled out of Captain Marvels grip.

"They won't let us." He gulped. "Superman and Black Canary think we will just run away too. They have locked the bay doors."

Each member held their breath, waiting to see what Captain Marvel would do. Finally the hero nodded.

"I'll unlock them." He volunteered. "You just leave Superman and Black Canary to me."

The teenagers jumped to their feet and ran, Wally speeding off ahead of the group to get to the bio-ship. Megan paused for a moment before flying back and quickly wrapping her arms around Captain Marvel's torso.

"Thank you!" she whispered before speeding off after the team, catching up to them as they reached the ship. The bio-ship was fully formed and ready for the team as the teenagers crowded on-board and took their places.

"Megan, that was amazing! Where did you learn to act like that?" Artemis asked, looking up from her seat.

Megan blushed at her friends praise.

"The Bumble Bees taught me. They said that a girl should always know how to cry so boys will always pay attention to us." The alien girl replied.

"Oh… I don't think that is actually a good thing." Artemis replied.

"Oh." Megan replied. The girl blushed again, this time in embarrassment.

Artemis immediately went into damage control.

"But it was still good. And it worked on Captain Marvel." She lowered her voice.

"Wally, help me out here."

"What?" The speedster asked, looking up from his seat. The teen hero had been staring out the window, seeing something no one else could see.

"Megan's crying." The archer prompted.

"Oh. It was good." Wally said, turning back to stare at the window again. "Can we just go?"

Megan sat down in her seat, letting the controls grow around her.

"All ready?" Megan asked. In front of the ship, the bay doors opened.

Everyone nodded.

"Let's bring Robin home." Kaldur said.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Outlaws are on a mission. And so is Young Justice. But something else is in the city of Taipei, and it might just mean back news for both teams.

Lights twinkled across the inky black of the sleepy city of Taipei. It was a beautiful sight, very different from the smoky lights of Gotham which normally held Robin's attention. The Boy Wonder lent back, his bony shoulders digging into the stone dragon behind him as he once again glanced at the holographic screen in front of him, peering through the lenses of his mask.

In the corner of his eye, a shadow moved. Robin ignored it as Red Hood shifted his centre of gravity, keeping his balance on the thin beam running across the rooftop as he adjusted his grip on his weapon. The older vigilante looked down at the dark courtyard below them, the night guards moving silently across the grounds before disappearing inside the house.

Under his breath, Jason growled. The occupant of the house was a real piece of work, wanted in three different countries for child molestation. The bastard had gotten away with it through diplomatic immunity and a scum bag dad who was in the pocket of several powerful criminal organisations. But what really got to Jason was the fact that those kids were the same age as his own little brother, the little brother who had already hacked into the bastard's home server and pulled up blue prints of the house, passcodes into all the secret rooms and the hired guard's roster. Now the kid was searching again, looking into timetables for the next two weeks, looking for the Outlaws in.

A gust of wind pattered against Jason's jacket.

The Red Hood didn't even bother to lower his weapon as the alien lowered herself to hover next to him. Starfire had been a life saver for Jason and the team, transporting the team's equipment from one end of the earth to the other without all the hassles of dealing with a paranoid American government. And the fact that she was a good fighter with super strength and a broad understanding of morality didn't hurt.

"Anything?" He asked.

The orange skinned girl shook her head.

"It's all quiet Jason." She replied in a low voice.

Jason nodded, glad that his helmet hid his expression from the alien.

"He doesn't know we are on to him. Of course it would be quiet." He replied.

There was a flash of red from the other end of the roof as Roy jumped from shadow to shadow, making his way across to the rest of the team.

"Sun will be up in a few hours." He commented dryly as he reached them, slinging his bow over his back.

Jason lowered his gun, sliding it into the holster in his jacket. He crossed his arms across his chest, feeling the familiar weight of it against his chest.

"Robin." He called. "How are we doing?"

The teen sitting on the roof quickly shut down his computer.

"I've got everything." He replied, standing up. Skipping across the beam like a tightrope walker, the younger hero made his way to the group.

"We can't do anything else tonight." Jason muttered. He turned to his team, not bothering to comment as Kori wrapped an arm around Dick's shoulders, like an older sister cuddling a younger brother. "I'm calling it. We start again at sunset tomorrow."

Both Dick and Roy nodded, understanding Jason. Kori gave him an odd look but allowed Roy to grab her arm, steering her to the ledge. Dick followed but paused, realising his older brother wasn't following.

"Jay?" He asked, turning back to the lone figure.

Jason didn't look at the kid, instead staring out at the city. He imagined throwing himself off those sky scrapers, feeling the wind rush past his falling body, knowing that his line was seconds from pulling tight, from pulling him to safety.

"I'm going for a run kiddo. I'll be back soon."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bio-ship glided silently, cutting through the air like a knife. Inside, the teens were equally silent, all of them watching as the city drew closer. Megan had put the ship in camouflage mode on Kaldur's orders, the team leader not wanting their cover blown so early into the mission. Captain Marvel could only keep Black Canary away for so long and the city officials would not hesitate to take note of any heroes entering their city, even parading their presence which would certainly gain the wrath of Batman.

But the team wasn't entering the city, instead landing undercover on the outskirts. Wordlessly, they split into two teams, Kaldur and Megan to search the roof tops while Wally, Conner and Artemis searched the streets. Splitting up, began their journey into the heart of the city, ready for anything they might find.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twenty minutes into his 'run', Jason became aware of the shadows following him. They were quiet, soft footed and any normal person wouldn't have paid it any attention. But Jason wasn't a normal person, and you didn't survive a childhood under the Batman and the All Caste by not noticing your surroundings.

Plus, Jason's route wasn't a normal run, the teenager diving off ledges and throwing himself off rooftops with frightening proficiency, his jump line whipping around him, the only thing earthing him to reality. The shadows kept pace, seemingly guiding him across the city. Internally, Jason sighed. He would have to lose his tail and soon.

Seeing an opportunity, Jason turned suddenly diving into shadows. A raised air vent in the darkest corner was all the Red Hood needed to hide himself as he froze, holding his breath and waiting for his stalker to reveal itself.

Finally, a shadowed figure jumped softly onto the roof.

Under his helmet, Jason's eyes narrowed. The figure was not what he had been expecting. It was taller than the 13 year old who had been Jason's main suspect. It also lacked the female body of Jason's favourite alien. For a moment, the Red Hood wondered if it was a certain archer but he quickly withdrew that theory. The figure was too big even to be Roy and lacked the almost proud movements of the archer.

The figure kept to the shadows, letting the darkness hide most of its body. Slowly, its head moved, scanning the area.

Reaching into his jacket, Jason gripped his favourite gun, slowly pulling it out of its holster.

In front of him, the figure tensed. It turned, pivoting on the spot and leaving its back to the shadows where Jason hid. It arched its head, seeming to listen closely for a few seconds before breaking into a run, diving between shadows. Jason vaguely made out a set of legs wrapped in skin tight black cloth before the figure flung itself head first off the roof top, disappearing into the gloom.

Interested, Jason detangled himself from the shadows of his hiding space, climbing onto the ledge to look down at the streets below. The figure had disappeared, as Jason had expected it to. The 19 year olds mind raced, trying to analyse what he had seen. The figure's body language had been familiar but Jason couldn't think of where he knew it from. Who was following him? How did they manage to keep up with him? What did they know?

Jason looked up at the night sky. It looked like life had just gotten a hell of a lot more dangerous.

There was another sound behind him. This time it wasn't the soft footsteps of someone use to stealth. No, these footsteps were louder as they landed on the rooftop. Jason turned, raising his gun to point at the new comer's chest as the figure stepped into the light.

This time it was recognisable as a teenager, dark skinned but with light hair cut close to the scalp. The teen had cold eyes, silver in the dim light of the streets. A series of tattoos ran down the teens uncovered arms.

Under his helmet, Jason grinned. He knew who this was. You couldn't survive long around Roy without hearing of Kaldur, aka Aqualad, leader of Batman's pet team, the Young Justice. It didn't hurt that Jason had been wondering if something like this would happen.

"Well. This just got interesting. I admit I wasn't expecting a visit from the leader of the junior Justice League so soon."

The silver eyes glared at him.

"You are the Red Hood." The atlantean said. It wasn't a question, but Jason still nodded.

"Correct." He answered.

"Then it is my duty to place you under arrest." The hero stated.

Jason tilted his head, looking at the hero closely, his gun remaining stationary. The atlantean hadn't mentioned Robin and Jason wasn't sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

"Let me guess. The Bat doesn't want to face me, so he sent his little team here instead?" He couldn't stop the venom in his voice as he said this. "That's pathetic Bruce." He continued in a low voice, knowing the other teen couldn't hear the add on.

The atlantean looked a little uncomfortable, shifting his feet.

"Batman is not involved in this mission." The younger teen said, slightly ashamed.

Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise and a little anger. Bruce wasn't here? What? Did he not feel like reclaiming his kid himself? Was he so busy doing his own thing that he decided to send kids in his place? What the hell was going through the Dark Knight's head?

Cocking his gun, Jason stared at the other teen.

"Well, I guess that's a problem for you." He said, his finger sliding towards the safety.

The gun exploded in his hand, tearing into his glove. With a shout, Jason dropped the weapon to the ground. Something grabbed the back of his jacket, sending him into the raised vent he had only minutes before used as a hiding place.

Fighting back his instincts, Jason stayed still, glad his helmet could help him fake unconsciousness. Above him, the air flickered. A girl appeared, floating in the air. She was clearly alien, her green skin too noticeable in the gloom. Her hair was a fiery red, the same colour as Kori's.

The girl slowly began to lower herself to the ground, seemingly trying to study Jason's prone form. Jason waited for his moment as the girl drew closer and closer. Finally, she was close enough, the edge of her cloak only inches from his face. Jason felt the knife hidden in his sleeve slide into place. He lashed out, the knife swinging about to catch the material before the downswing brought it to the ground again, the force of Jason's swing burying the strong blade in the cheap concrete.

The girl screamed and tried to retreat, the cloak catching her around the neck and keeping her in place. Jason rolled, throwing out a small flash bomb to hide his movements from the alien as he used his momentum to climb to his feet. He turned, prepared to fend off the inevitable attack from the atlantean but he was too slow. Hammer like weapons crashed into his jaw, knocking him off his feet yet again.

Jason's head was spinning as the teen advanced, weapons still in his hands as the alien girl finally managed to free herself. She floated quickly to her leaders side, her hand raised in Jason's direction as an invisible force shoved the Red Hood down, holding him in place.

The two shared a look before stepping closer. The pressure on Jason's chest increased as the alien's eyes glowed in the dark.

There was a small metal sound, like a can hitting the ground. Something rolled to Jason's side. Thick smoke suddenly appeared, clouding Jason's vision. Suddenly there was chaos as figures moved in the smoke followed by thuds and flashes of light. The pressure on Jason's chest disappeared.

The smoke started to clear as Jason raised his head to look at the scene before him. Slowly, he grinned. The atlantean was trying to raise himself off the ground, a look of surprise on his face. At his side was Roy, the archer holding his bow in a threatening manner, even as the atlantean failed to notice him. Above the whole group, the alien was hovering in the air, in a tense standoff against Kori. But what drew Jason's attention was Robin. The 13 year old was standing between Kaldur and Jason, his back to his brother, one of the eskrima sticks he favoured held in a defensive stance.

The young teen glanced over his shoulder at Jason before looking at his former leader.

"That's enough." Was all the kid needed to say.


	7. Chapter 7

Up above the group, the green girl gasp.

"Robin!" She called, lowering herself to the ground next to Kaldur. Kori, Jason was pleased to see, followed the girl, keeping close enough to jump into a fight at the first sign of trouble. But the green girl didn't seem to notice as she sent a warm smile at the hacker. A smile which Robin didn't return. Instead, the boy shook his head suddenly before looking directly at the girl.

"Get out of my head, Miss M." He warned, his grip tightening on the weapon in his hand.

From his place on the ground, Jason raised an eyebrow, glad that his helmet hid everything from sight. Telepathic link maybe? Something was bugging his little brother and clearly the girl was the cause.

The girl looked hurt at Robin's comment, his face falling.

"But Robin?" She tried again. If kicked puppies could have a voice, Jason believed they would use the exact tone of voice the girl used as she looked his little brother up and down.

The younger hero just glared through the mask, a talent he had clearly picked up from his mentor. Seeing the warning for what it was, Kaldur rose to his feet and grabbed the girl's hand.

"M'gann, enough." He said in a low voice.

Jason remained silent, watching his surroundings. Kaldur and the girl, M'gann, seemed to have a silent conversation, staring into each other's eyes, heads and hands moving like they were having a silent argument. It also seemed that Roy and Kori were having a silent conversation. However, this one didn't have any telepathy involved. Instead, Roy had caught Kori's eye and was jerking his head to the side, indicating for the girl to move back. Slowly, the two did, stepping backwards away from the Young Justice members and back towards Robin until they were standing side by side with the 13 year old hero, ready to fight.

Neither of the Young Justice members seemed to notice the hostility in the movement, both turning to look as something green shot through the darkness. Despite the lack of light, Jason could make out the line connected to what looked like a green arrow.

In front of Jason, Dick nudged Roy, indicating towards the arrow. Roy nodded and raised his bow, pulling back on the drawstring. After a few seconds, a blond head appeared.

"Artemis." Kaldur called as the girl, dressed all in green, pulled herself over the edge with a grunt.

The girl climbed to her feet, muttering under her breath.

"Whoever decided climbing up a building like that was a good idea is an idiot." She stated, one hand rubbing her stomach where the material failed to protect her from the rough stone while the other readjusted the strap across her chest. She finally looked up and froze, staring at Roy who was aiming the arrow with deadly accuracy.

Jason looked her up and down. Her outfit said sidekick, her presence on the roof suggested she was one of the sidekicks attached to the little covert operations team. The bow and arrows slung across her back and Roy's reaction to her said she was Green Arrows newest find. But her body language said something completely different. Something dangerous. Jason didn't need years of training in the All Caste to recognise an assassin when he saw one.

"Are you serious?" The girl asked aloud. Slowly, the hand on her bare stomach moved to her lower back, clearly reaching for a concealed weapon hidden there. Jason felt his own hands move, dragging across the ground to his own concealed weapons. There was no way he was going to trust this one.

Like he was also sensing the movement, the Atlantean strode towards the girl and caught her wrist.

"Artemis, no." He warned.

He turned to once again look at the Outlaws. He held up his hands.

"It appears we have misjudged the situation." The Atlantean stated.

Easing the strain in his weapon, Roy lowered the bow, snorting softly.

"Wouldn't be the first time." The archer said, smirking slightly as Artemis glared at him. Not looking away, Roy elbowed Robin.

"Relax Rob." He muttered.

Robin did, sliding the metal staff into the back of his belt before turning, leaving his back to the group as he advanced on his fallen brother. He held out a gloved hand to Jason, grinning from ear to ear.

"You so got owned!" The teenager crowed. "It's totally whelming."

Jason growled under his breath as he accepted his little brothers hand, deliberately making Robin take his full weight as the kid pulled him to his feet.

"Butcher the English language one more time kid, and I will beat you to within an inch of your life." The older teenager warned as he brushed the dust of his jacket.

Ignoring the gasp of horror from the green girl as she overheard the statement, Jason carefully stretched, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. Damn, the Atlantean could hit hard.

Next to him (And about a foot below his head) Robin laughed, knowing Jason's threat for what it really was. Good natured teasing. Jason couldn't help it, he ran a gloved hand through Robin's hair, grinning secretly as the 13 year old tried to get away before his hair was messed up.

"Oh come on Red Hood!" The kid pouted.

Ignoring the kids soft grumbles as he tried to flatten the messy mop of dark hair, Jason looked the newcomers up and down.

"So, this is the Young Justice League." He said. Jason carefully avoided using the first word which came to mind. Underwhelming. It would take more time then Jason wanted to get to shut Dick up after using that one. Instead, he settled for pointed silence, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No." Robin piped up as he moved closer, his hair still in disarray. "SB and KF aren't here."

"The Speedster and the Kryptonian, right?" Jason asked as Kori reached over, wrapping an arm around Robin's shoulders. Like the rest of the Outlaws, she had relaxed her fighting stance and was now watching Robin and Red Hoods exchange with some amusement.

"They will turn up." This comment came from Roy. The Outlaws archer had pushed his arrow back into his quiver and slung his bow over his shoulder. Now he stood with the rest of his team, hands firmly at his side as he looked straight at Kaldur.

Kaldur, who was still looking bewildered as the scene before him trying to make sense of everything. Finally, he turned to face M'gann and Artemis, failing to see the shadows moving on the rooftops around them.

"It appears that we have been misinformed."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a roof top on the other side of the city, a statue stood, frozen against the night sky. On closer inspection, onlookers might be able to believe that it wasn't a statue. The strange pointed ears and the shadows which moved around it like a soft material might be ignored, and the lump of darkness might take on the form of a man, resting in a crouch on the edge of the roof. Those people would be right.

Batman was on guard.

He had arrived in Taipei and immediately began his search. Jason was untrustworthy and had most likely already guessed that Dark Knight would come after him. The teenage vigilante would be lying low, if he hadn't left the city already, taking his brother with him.

And that in itself was a problem. What was Dick's mental state? The man under the Batman mask knew better than anyone that the 13 year old was struggling. The failed exercise and the breakout at Arkham would have left even an adult hero emotionally drained, and Dick was only 13 and still in training. He didn't have nearly enough experience to handle the emotional side of those incidents. Plus, although Batman hadn't said it aloud, it was clear Dick's team didn't believe they had supported him. Guilt had radiated off Wally West the moment Robin was reported missing and the rest of the team wasn't much better.

It hurt that Dick hadn't felt that he could talk to Bruce about his problems, that he couldn't share his troubles with his adopted father and mentor. But then again, that was most likely Batman's own fault. Although he would never admit it aloud, Bruce knew he put a lot of pressure on his children. He trained them to be tough, to follow orders without questions, to survive. Jason hadn't coped well. That was why he became rebellious, fighting everything that moved and failing to listen to simple orders. It was why Jason had gone after the Joker that night, despite Batman's attempts to call him back. It was why Jason had died.

But Dick.... Dick wasn't like that. He had never been rebellious like Jason. The boy never answered back or questioned orders except that one time, defending Superboy and his friend's actions at Cadmus. Dick hadn't started life on Gotham's streets like Jason. He had grown up in a loving family. Dick was innocent in ways Jason had never been. And Bruce had protected that innocence with everything he had.

Certainly Dick had been exposed to some of the worst things Gotham could offer. He had faced down the Joker and Batman's other rogues. He had investigated murders and rapes. He had raced against the clock to save the world. But he had always held onto that innocence, that childish joy and Bruce had worked hard to help him. Even when it came to Jason, Bruce had guarded Dick, not letting the younger boy know the extent of Jason's crimes. Dick had no idea what Jason had done, what he was capable of doing, and what he was going to do. Dick didn't know how many people had lost their lives because of Jason's murderous whims, or how close the older teen came to claiming his little brother's life along with countless others. In Dick's mind, Jason was the adventurous older brother, rebelling against the father figure and making his own way in the world.

Bruce only hoped that Jason had the decency to keep that illusion alive, at least for a little while longer.

Shifting in his spot, Batman looked around. Shadows were moving across the rooftops. No, not shadows… figures. Figures running through the darkness. Slipping off his perch and into the shadows, Batman watched the movements, trying to identify the figures.

They weren't children. Despite not receiving any warnings from Mount Justice, Batman could already guess that the team had staged an escape and were on their way, if not already in Taipei. But these figures were not the team.

There were too many of them to be Red Hood and Robin, even if the rumours were true and Jason had created his own team of misfits to help him. The Dark Knights mind began to analyse, to look at his surroundings. Were there any local gangs operating in Taipei? Could they be thieves or runners? Who was the local Crime Lord?

What was the last major incident in Taipei?

There had been the Injustice Leagues plant terrorism. But no, that couldn't be it. That had been on a global scale. But there had been an incident before that hadn't there? An incident specific to this city?

Batman thought quickly. Then he remembered. Luthor.

Clark had been insufferable that week, when Lex Luthor had been chosen to host peace talks in this very city. When the League of Shadows had made several attempts on his life.

Studying the figures again, Batman looked closely at the movements. They were soft, fluid movements. Movements of trained assassins.

Ra's Al Ghul had fallen to his death at Cape Canaveral, his latest plan ruined because of Robin's actions. But the man was old and cunning. He watched everything. Batman had no doubts the Head of the League of Shadows would know if Robin wasn't in Batman's care. Would the man take his revenge in this way? Would he place a hit on a child? Did he intend to punish Batman and Robin? Or was there something else at work here?

Whatever it was, it was clear that the Dark Knight needed to stop it.

Moving silently, Batman dashed through the shadows, racing after the retreating figures.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The street was deserted as Superboy moved, walking slowly through the darkness, his blue eyes seeing things no one else could see. Artemis had long ago broken away from the group to join Kaldur and Megan in searching the rooftops, leaving Conner and Wally to carry out Kaldur's orders alone. Now, as Conner continued his slow search of ground level, Wally dashed to and from, checking out every little movement Conner noticed before reporting back.

They hadn't heard from the rest of the team in a while, but neither boy was worried. Megan was very good at contacting them in an emergency but as per Conner's request, she kept her link minimal when the job didn't require comms silence.

"So." Wally said, appearing behind Conner suddenly "I'm thinking ground level is a bust. You think we should call everyone?"

Conner shrugged, choosing silence as all his senses searched the darkness. Normally he trusted his hearing but today it seemed off. Every few seconds, the teenage clone thought he heard movement but every time he turned to look, to see what had made the noise, he saw nothing. He had commented to Wally but the speedster hadn't been helpful, suggesting that he was imagining things. Conner had decided not to comment again.

"Yo! Superboy!" Wally called, trying to gain Conner's attention. One hand was raised to his ear.

Conner turned, glaring.

"What?" he growled.

Under his mask, Wally blinked.

"I was just going to call the team." The speedster blurted out as an explanation.

The two stared at each other as something rattled in the gloom. Conner felt something hit his boot. The rattling stopped. Both young heroes looked down at the ground and the small metal sphere. Slowly, the looked up again.

"Oh crap!" Wally muttered before disappearing.

The metal sphere next to Conner's boot exploded.


	8. Chapter 8

The explosion echoed through the darkened streets, the sound ricocheting off the buildings and bouncing through the gloom followed by a wave of silence across Taipei. Then, slowly, dogs started to howl. Lights flickered. Sirens sounded. The city reacted to the explosion, panic seeping through the air like smoke.

The Dark Knight didn't hesitate, throwing out a line and breaking off his chase. The figures had disappeared, leaving only small traces of their presence which were becoming harder and harder to spot, even for the World's Greatest Detective as he raced on. Allowing the line to take his weight, Batman sailed through the air, his new heading the centre of the city. Even if Jason wasn't responsible for the explosion, Bruce knew where the boy would soon be.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On the roof some distance away, the two teams jumped to attention, running to the edge of the roof to analyse the explosion. Before them, smoke was a visible red, rising into the sky.

"What the hell was that?" Roy asked, bow and arrow already in his hands as he studied the scene, one foot on the ledge as if he were ready to leap.

"It came from the Central Business District." Artemis replied, equally as armed as she stepped closer, standing by Roy's side.

"Are you certain?" Kaldur asked, retrieving his hard water bearers.

Artemis nodded. "I was there with Wally and ….."

Under her mask, the girls brown eyes widened. "Oh no." she muttered to herself.

"No." Another voice said. It wasn't loud, but both teams turned to face the speaker. Robin was frozen on the spot, staring at the smoke. Jason could almost feel the horror radiating off his little brother. It was enough to kick the older teen into action. He turned to the rest of the Outlaws.

"Star, get into the air. I need to know what is going on down there." He ordered.

The princess didn't argue, throwing herself into the sky.

"M'gann, go with her." Kaldur ordered from somewhere behind the rest of the group. The Martian girl hesitated slightly before nodding, shooting off to catch up with Kori, the two aliens disappearing into the dark.

It was a clear sign of mistrust, but Jason ignored it, angling his body and wrapping an arm around Robin.

"It's ok little brother." He said, rubbing a hand along Robin's back. The boy calmed slightly, trusting his brothers words and relaxing as Jason pulled him against his chest. Kaldur and Artemis exchanged looks.

"Little brother?" Artemis asked aloud.

Jason moved his head slightly to glare at the girl, not caring that his helmet destroyed the effect.

Movement caught his eye. Jason froze.

Very slowly, his hand rested on Robin's shoulder.

Back when Jason had worked alongside the Dark Knight, he and Bruce had worked to develop signals which could alert each other in case of attack. Across long distances, these worked as hand signals but in close, they were much simpler. A sudden pressure and then lack of created a mores code like rhythm to pass a silent message, to indicate a threat and give the recipient all the information they needed. It was an effective form of communication. Jason only hoped Bruce had taught Dick these same signals.

Slowly, using his index finger, he tapped out a pattern on Robin's shoulder. Once again, the younger teen tensed. Shifting slowly, Robin allowed his cape to fall over his body instead of its normal place hitched over his shoulders as he reached to kick at the risen stone of the ledge. Roy, the closest hero to the two brothers, noticed the noise, turning his head slightly to look at the teenager.

"Don't look but we have company." Robin muttered, feeling the archers masked eyes on him.

Behind the group, soft footsteps landed on the ground. Keeping his movements soft, Roy nodded his understanding as beside him, Artemis began to fidget, trying to hide her worry for her missing team mates. Unlike Roy, she had no idea of the threat.

Using the cover of his cape, Robin reached for his belt, keeping his movements slow and deliberate. He could feel Jason's movements next to him as the older teen reached for his own weapons.

"On the count of three." Jason whispered, his voice neutral. "One… Two…"

Roy was the first to turn, firing off a smoke arrow and catching the six shadowy figures off guard before Robin ran into the smoke, Jason on his heels.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Conner blinked, his ears ringing as lights flashed across his eyes. The explosion had sent him flying across the street, his back creating deep gouges in the concrete where his momentum had proved greater than the density of the road.

A warped voice reached his ears. Conner blinked repeatedly, his vision starting to clear to show a yellow blur above him.

"Superboy!" The voice called, sounding like it was from somewhere far off. "Are you ok?"

There was a pressure on the Boy of Steels shoulders, like someone was trying to shake him. Slowly raising his head, Conner made a half-hearted attempt to push the yellow thing away. It disappeared briefly before returning as Wally West.

The speedster's yellow uniform was covered in dust, the teenager looking a bit dazed but uninjured.

"Are you ok?" He asked again, his voice a lot clearer.

Conner nodded his head slightly, noticing the fine cloud of dust which fell from his hair. Using his elbows to raise himself up, the teenage clone looked himself up and down. Miraculously, his t-shirt seemed to survive, the red and black only slightly dirty. His jeans however, were a different story. One of the legs was completely ripped off, the other torn. And at least one of his boots hadn't survived.

Outwardly, the clone growled in annoyance but inwardly, he was thankful. There were very few things that Conner enjoyed about being related to the Man of Steel. Certainly he could leap tall buildings, but the teen was yet to learn how to land in a way that didn't create a small earthquake. Advanced hearing and eye sight was good for spying, but he couldn't exactly turn them off and hearing the minimal whimpers and cries of his friends and seeing the minuet injuries when they were hurt was not so fun. And when it was innocent civilians, it got worse.

However, being invincible defiantly had its perks. The Boy of Steel had been shot, burnt, stabbed and as of tonight, exploded without any ill effects.

Finally the young hero rose to his feet, ignoring the speedster beside him. Around them, the screams started as civilians awoke to the panic. Conner ignored them as well, walking forward to the gaping hole in the ground where, moments before, he had been standing.

Standing in the centre of the hole, he looked around, trying to guess where the bomb had come from. His blue eyes followed the lines of the buildings to the roof tops. His eyes narrowed.

A figure in green stood on the ledge, a huge grin visible on the distorted white face.

Conner snarled under his breath. Crouching down, he prepared to leap. Wally grabbed his arm, stopping him.

The smoke cleared around the teens. Conner blinked, looking around. Silent figures surrounded the two heroes, creating a wide circle. Each figure was dressed in black. Conner tensed.

"Well SB, I don't want to quote Star Wars but I think it's a trap." Wally muttered.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From her perch above the chaotic street, Cheshire sighed. Despite what most people thought, she didn't like these sorts of jobs. Being away from the action was no fun for a trained assassin, even if the job did offer her a chance to practice her strategic planning skills. But even the looks on the two hero's faces when they had noticed the present she had left for them hadn't been worth it.

Instead, the faceless lackeys got to go in for the kill of these two while she was left to catch a single bird. It was infuriating, especially when she had a score to settle with this little team of heroes. These brats had ruined her hit on Dr Roquette and it seemed, turned her kid sister against her.

Well, Artemis had made her choice and now Cheshire had a job to do. She had to bring in the kid, the little protégé of the Dark Knight. Not an easy job, even for someone with her skills. Added to it was the presence of the freelance assassin and anarchist Red Hood. Cheshire had never met the Red Hood, nor seen him in battle but the other assassin was a legend among the League of Shadows, hand-picked by Lord Ra's Al Ghul and raised by the Dark Knight himself if the rumour was true. Even if rumour wasn't true, Cheshire still planned to be careful. There was no telling whose side the Red Hood would be on if he had those sort of connections.

Plus, she had heard that a certain red haired archer was in town. No doubt he would have something to say about the Shadow's operative's current assignment. In fact, Cheshire hoped that Red Arrow would show up. He was always so much fun to play with, like a mouse who thought it could beat the cat. His involvement might just make this whole job worth it.

Turning her back to the battle below, Cheshire made her way across the roof and into the shadows. If any of them were in town, they would soon appear to investigate. All she had to do was wait and prepare. So, like the Cheshire Cat, she disappeared into the dark.


	9. Chapter 9

Wally West was no stranger to the oddities of his job. Fight giant mutant gorillas and robot monkeys? He had done it all before. Try to stop a Superman clone from ripping him to pieces? The guy was now one of his closest friends. Get on the Dark Knights bad side and live? Hell, Uncle Barry and the Boy Wonder were still trying to figure out how he had pulled that one off. Put aside his personal beliefs for the good of the world? Did the name Dr Fate mean anything anymore?

Put simply, Wally West had done some impressive things during his few short years as a hero. But this was a new one. Never before, had Kid Flash faced off against a team of ninjas. And not ninjas in the same sense that Robin was a ninja with his disappearing act and frighteningly accurate throwing arm. No, these were the real deal with the black clothes and things you really don't want to touch you.

Several times now, Wally had been forced to duck out of the way as lethal pieces of metal whizzed through the air, forcing him back into the centre. But the shadowy figures, didn't cry out, didn't move in to attack, instead, they remained silent, keeping the circle tight around the two heroes.

The circle was too small for Wally. There was no room to gain his famous speed. No room for the speedster to move! The teen couldn't even run in a circle to build up his momentum. Every time he tried, one of them would step out, the flash of blades causing the teen to veer off course or slow down to avoid the attack.

And by the look of it, Conner was having just as much trouble. Unlike Wally, Conner could move, lashing out at the threat where Wally could only dodge. But the figures were well trained, ducking out of the way of the Boy of Steels swinging fists, regrouping before Superboy could break the circle completely, several projectiles bouncing off the teenagers skin.

It was almost like the few times Conner had fought Robin during training, Wally absentmindedly noted as he once again ducked out of the way of a wicked looking dart. Superboy had never managed to lay a finger on Robin during their spares, the younger boy too quick and clever to get within an arm's reach of the kryptonian. Robin knew he lacked the superior strength to bring down Conner and tended to fall back on what he knew best.

But these guys…These guys knew a lot more.

They didn't keep out of arm's length, no, they kept a further distance then that. Enough that they might be able to jump out of the way, should the clone rush at them. Their aim was too good, and although it didn't penetrate Conner's skin, Wally couldn't help but feel a small stab of fear every time a weapon connected. Kryptonians may not have been a common breed on Earth, but Superman had never been shy about sharing his culture with certain reporters. The Daily Planets star reporters, Lois Lane and Clark Kent, practically had the Man of Steel on speed dial. And Wally had no idea if these ninjas had access to Kryptonite and more importantly, what would happen to SB if they used it.

Unfortunately, Wally had been too preoccupied with his silent musings. A black clad foot lashed out, catching him across the ankles. The speedster fell forward, only his hands saving him from the rough ground. The teen rolled, curling his body into a ball to minimise the impact. Finally coming to a halt, the speedster uncurled his body, groaning. He lay on the road, his back against the concrete as his head spun. Despite his care, he had still taken a blow to the head.

Blinking through the pain, Wally noticed movement. The black clad figures were moving, drawing closer and forming a smaller circle around the teenager. They were cutting him off from Superboy.

Rising to his knees, Wally didn't see the flash of silver until it was too late. Twin leads hit him on the chest, lodging themselves in the thick fibres of his costume, coming to rest on the red lightning bolt across his chest.

Wally looked down at the leads in horror before following them up to the figure holding them.

"Oh!" He muttered.

The first surge of electricity felt like nothing Wally had ever felt before. It was like Superboy had kicked him in the chest; it felt like Megan was using her telepathic abilities to rip his ribs apart. It felt a hundred times worse than the experiment which had given Wally his super speed.

Wally screamed, dropping to the ground as the convulsions racked his body, the electric currents tearing through his senses.

The speedster couldn't help it, he kept screaming.

Somewhere in the distance, someone shouted his name but Wally couldn't process it. He just wanted it all to end.

And then, as suddenly as it started, it did end, the cables ripped violently from Wally's chest. Half dazed, Wally watched as the cables flew into the air, still sparking before they flew at their owner, attaching themselves to the stunned ninja. The man dropped with a shout. Several of his associates turned to watch in surprise. A ninja was knocked to the ground, another picked up and thrown across the street.

The air in front of Wally shimmered as the ninjas turned on the defence, preparing themselves for some sort of attack. They were all silent, still as statues.

Suddenly, one of them moved, throwing out a small knife.

There was a shout of surprise. The knife changed its angle slightly before falling to the ground. Wally didn't bother waiting for another chance. The loss of several ninjas had given the speedster enough room to finally move, something which the teen took full advantage of, hitting several of the figures and sending them to the ground as he gained speed.

Behind him, another ninja found himself battling a seemingly flying pipe, the metal colliding with his back and sending him to the ground.

Wally glanced over as the air shimmered behind the fallen figure, forming itself to reveal Megan. The alien girl was breathing heavily, one hand pressing against her shoulder where the blade had caught her.

Wally slowly pulled his goggles away from his face, his green eyes meeting Megan's golden ones.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

The girl nodded slightly. Her eyes slid past Wally. They widened.

"Wally, look out!" She screamed.

Wally turned.

One of their attackers had risen to his feet, a long sword drawn from a hidden sheath on his back. The ninja was advancing fast.

Wally knew he could easily dodge. He was the fastest boy alive after all. But to move would leave Megan open, and Wally wasn't certain how badly injured his favourite martian really was.

Quickly, he calculated his chances. They were good, as long as he picked the right time to act. Forcing himself to wait, the speedster watched as his attacker drew closer and closer. Any second now and Wally would have to move.

Something moved behind the ninja. Something…..purple?

The purple light hit Wally's attacker, knocking him to the ground and revealing the speedsters rescuer.

Wally felt his jaw drop. Seriously, what were the odds of meeting two hot alien babes in one lifetime?

And alien the girl clearly was. Her hair was so red it looked like flames travelling from the base of her skull down to some unidentified point. Her skin was orange where it wasn't covered by the purple costume she wore (And really, those clothes had to violate some decency law somewhere!) and her eyes, her eyes were green. But not in the way Wally's were. They were all green. And they glowed.

The girl glanced at Wally for a moment, seemingly uninterested in him before she rose gracefully off the ground, already flying away from the two heroes and towards another group of ninjas. Wally blinked. Then he remembered.

Superboy.

The speedster was about to dive into the fight when the attackers fell back. Some were knocked over by the purple light, some forced back by sheer rage. Superboy was standing in the middle, the orange girl at his side. The girl didn't pay much attention, looking up at the sky with almost a wistful look.

The clone, on the other hand, looked around, blue eyes burning as he tried to find some way to work off the remains of his rage. Finally, his eyes settled on his team mates. The rage slowly disappeared, replaced by concern. The clone stepped forward.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

The question was a general one but Wally couldn't help but feel that it was mostly directed at Megan. The girl in question nodded.

"I'm fine." She replied with a faint smile.

The clone relaxed, returning the smile. Wally felt a small stab of something in his heart. He frowned.

"I don't know about you guys." He said, drawing his two team mates away from each other and the orange girl away from her musing, "but we just got attacked and I would feel a lot better if we knew why."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The fight on the rooftop was fast and messy, smoke and flash bombs making locating enemies difficult. The attackers moved carefully, racing in for an attack before quickly withdrawing.

Robin and Red Hood stood in the very centre, meeting each attack. They worked silently, both able to read the others move and cover each other from each attack, Red Hood sometimes pulling Robin out of the way of an attack and Robin sometimes catching a projectile mean for Red Hood.

Kaldur had also joined the fight, jumping in on several of their attackers and drawing their attention away from the others. Artemis on the other hand, had followed Red Arrow's example, ducking in and out of the fight before stepping back to get a good vantage point, her arrows sailing through the air like those of the other archer, causing chaos for any of the remaining attackers. And remaining there was. It seemed that the attackers had doubled their ranks, as more and more appeared; each dressed identically to his friend.

Artemis stepped back, analysing the fight. It was something her father had taught her to do, loathed that she was to admit it.

The attackers swarmed around Robin and Red Hood, almost like they were trying to surround them. Aqualads attackers were minimal, but they were persistent, pushing the atlantean further and further from the centre of the fight. Even the group trying to take down Roy was small, distracting the archer away from the main fight.

Artemis recognised the tactic. They were being cornered; each hero forced away from any help their team mates could offer.

Selecting an arrow, Artemis raised her bow. Let's see if she could introduce some flaws into their plan.

Behind her, someone laughed.

Artemis spun around, intent on confronting the voice behind her. She didn't make it.

A large piece of metal crashed down on her arm mid turn. Pain shot up her arm, forcing her to drop the bow with a scream.

"That looked like it hurt." A soft voice said as Artemis dropped to her knees, tears forming in her eyes as she gripped her injured wrist. She looked up at the grinning face.

The female archer took a deep breath, fighting away the tears. Still holding her arm carefully, she stood up, hatred filled looks directed at Cheshire.

"Didn't feel it." Artemis replied.

Cheshire laughed again.

"Good. Then I guess you won't feel this…."

The assassin's foot shot out, catching Artemis on the knee and forcing her to once again fall. A hand shot out, grabbing the leather strap of her quiver. Still dazed by the pain in her arm and knee, Artemis didn't have time to react as Cheshire forced her to lean over the ledge, leaving her balancing by her feet on the edge and her weight resting on the strap.

"How did you really think this was going to end little sis?" Cheshire asked quietly.

Resting her injured arm against her chest, Artemis slowly reached for the knife she kept hidden in her costume.

"Exactly like this." She replied, preparing to pull the weapon out.

"ARTEMIS!" A voice shouted.

Artemis turned slightly, she eyes meeting the masked ones of Robin. The boy had managed to break away from the fight briefly and was staring in horror at the scene before him.

Cheshire stared at the boy before turning back to her sister.

"It's a shame that this is not about you, but my target is a much younger bird." She said.

Artemis felt her face drain of colour.

"No. Please?" She begged.

Cheshire was silent, her mask grinning at Artemis. Then Artemis was falling backwards into the gloom.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheshire turned away, her sisters face forever burnt into her memories. No matter how much it had hurt, it had needed to be done. If Artemis wasn't going to follow the rest of the family, then she was nothing but a loose end. And Cheshire didn't have time for loose ends. Especially when her target was drawing closer.

The Boy Wonder, horrified by what he saw, was running towards the edge. To confront her or rescue Artemis, Cheshire didn't know. But she could see an opportunity when one was presented to her. Stepping forward quickly, she lashed out, catching Robin by surprise as the boy attempted to rush past. Robin was knocked to the ground with a grunt.

Reaching into the folds of her clothes, Cheshire unearthed twin knives. She had been ordered to bring the boy in alive, but no one had mentioned that the boy be uninjured. Besides, cats loved to play with little birds.

Grinning under her mask, she raised the knives.


	10. Chapter 10

_Reaching into the folds of her clothes, Cheshire unearthed twin knives. She had been ordered to bring the boy in alive, but no one had mentioned that the boy be uninjured. Besides, cats loved to play with little birds._

_Grinning under her mask, she raised the knives._

There was a loud bang.

One of Cheshire's blades when flying into the air, knocked from her hand by a sudden force. Cheshire looked around wildly.

A figure detangled itself from the shadows.

Cheshire looked it up and down. It was a man, dressed in a brown leather jacket. Underneath was a grey shirt with a red shape. The red shape was unidentifiable in the dark but Cheshire didn't need it to guess who the figure was. The red helmet gave it all away.

"Red Hood." She gasped, failing to keep the admiring tone out of her voice.

The other assassin lowered the gun in his hand, white lenses of the helmet flashing in the dark.

"Cheshire." He replied in a much harsher tone.

There was soft movement and suddenly Robin was on his feet, trying to duck away from the assassin looming over him. Cheshire raised her free knife. After all, it wouldn't do to let her hero worship get in the way of the job.

What she didn't expect was for Red Hood to appear at her side, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around, a solid kick to the back of the knees sending her tumbling to the ground before a heavy boot was placed on her chest.

There was a flash of red and the little bird was off the roof, following her sister into the darkness.

Cheshire looked up at Red Hood, the other assassin watching as the kid disappeared. Slowly, she massaged some feeling back into her wrist. Her knives were lying where they had been dropped, faint light bouncing off them.

"You ruined my hit." She said slowly, her voice dropping to a dangerous level. Above her, Red Hood gave no indication that he heard her.

The female assassin kicked upwards, catching Red Hood in the stomach and forcing him step back, removing his weight.

Cheshire twisted, rolling to her feet and collecting the knives before falling back into a defensive pose.

"I don't like it when people ruin my hit." She growled, holding up the weapons.

Red Hood reached for his stomach and casually brushed the dust off, a soft sound travelling from his helmet. Cheshire recognised that sound. The bastard was laughing!

As soon as the sound started, it stopped, silence washing over the two. Under her own mask, Cheshire blinked. When had it become so quiet?

"You know, I hate it when people ruin my jobs too." Red Hood replied.

Suddenly he ducked, revealing the figures behind him.

The red haired archer was standing behind him, bow raised and arrow drawn. Behind the archer was the dark skinned atlantean. And behind them both were the groaning remains of Cheshire's cover, the League of Shadows best operatives. A few were rolling on the ground in pain, a few were still. All were beaten.

Under her mask, Cheshire's eyes widened.

"No!" She said.

The archer grinned.

"Yes." He replied and released the arrow.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artemis groaned and rolled onto her side, clutching her wrist to her chest. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up at the ripped material above her. The taught fabric was still stretched over its metal frame and would be perfectly acceptable if it weren't for the Artemis shaped hole in the middle.

They were one of the female archers' pet peeves, but after tonight, the girl resolved to never again complain about the strange shade cloths people would erect in front of their businesses. Not after that one slowed her fall enough to save her life.

Rolling over, Artemis rested her good hand on the ground, trying to push herself to her feet. A hand grabbed her shoulder.

Artemis screamed and tried to lash out, briefly forgetting about her injury. A flash of pain turned the scream into a whimper. The hand disappeared from her shoulder.

"Artemis, its ok. It's ok."

There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again.

"Are you traught?" It asked. There was no mistaking who it was.

"Robin!" Artemis gasped, trying to turn. The hands were once again on her shoulders, restricting her movement even as they helped her to turn around. The teenager was kneeling behind her. He looked pale in the gloom but he was alive. Artemis felt a wave of relief wash over her. Robin was alive. Cheshire failed.

Letting the Boy Wonder hold her weight, Artemis wrapped her good arm around him, hugging the younger boy.

Slowly releasing him, Artemis looked him up and down.

"I thought she was going to kill you." The archer admitted.

Robin grinned.

"Maybe she did. Maybe I'm a ghost." He said.

Artemis smacked him on the head.

"Ow!"Robin whined, rubbing his head. "No need to hit me. Your sister already did that."

Artemis felt the blood rush from her face.

"You knew?" She asked, noticing how horsed her voice became.

Robin shrugged.

"Yeah. Found out a while ago." He replied, looking away from the archer and at their surroundings. Artemis's quiver had exploded, arrows littering the ground. The archer was just glad none of them had gone off, otherwise what Cheshire started, may have been finished before Robin could come to the rescue.

Artemis grabbed his arm, bringing his attention back to her.

"How?" She demanded.

The Boy Wonder looked back at her, his face suddenly deadly serious.

"I was trained by Batman." He said. His tone of voice suggested that Artemis had just been told all she needed to know.

Artemis fought back the urge to ask for more. To try and deny everything or to justify herself to the younger teen. To say something, anything. Suddenly, Robin was grinning again.

"So Cheshire's your sister? So what? Relax. You're not the only one with dangerous family ties." He said.

The boy quickly detangled himself from the archers grip, standing up and scanning their surroundings again.

"What do you mean, not the only one?" Artemis asked, failing to hide the suspicion in her voice.

"Well, you've just met my brother. How safe do you think he is?" The boy asked, staring up at the night sky. Suddenly he was on his toes, reaching up for something. "Kaldur also has some bad family ties, if what I overheard Aquaman saying that one time is true. And M'gann's story is suspicious too."

Grunting slightly, Robin grabbed at the torn sun shade, catching the material in his fist before pulling. The material ripped away from the metal frame. The teen hero examined it carefully before grabbing an edge in both hands and beginning to pull it apart.

"SB was going to be a living weapon and we still have no idea what he is really capable of."

The Boy Wonder picked up a piece of torn cloth and examined it before stepping closer to Artemis.

"In fact," The boy continued as he picked up one of the discarded arrows and snapped the head off, throwing the tip back to the ground. "Wally is probably the only one who doesn't have anything suspicious going on. And that's only as far as I know."

Gently, Robin reached for Artemis's injured arm. Trying not to put too much pressure on her injury, the younger teen placed the broken arrow against her arm before carefully wrapping the strip of material about it. Another strip was added, this one connecting to the first before Robin created a big loop. The loop was carefully draped over Artemis's shoulder before the material was tied once again to the makeshift bandage. Robin stepped back.

"How's that?" He asked.

Artemis looked down at the make shift splint and sling. It was holding her arm against her chest with the least amount of pressure to the injury. She looked up.

"It's good….thanks."

Robin grinned and offered her his hand.

Artemis took the offered hand, allowing Robin to help her to stand.

"What should we do now?" Artemis couldn't help asking. For a moment she feared that Robin would want to go back and face Cheshire.

"Now we go find KF and SB." The Boy Wonder answered, not even hesitating. Quickly, he bent down and collected the remaining arrows before walking around her and shoving them back into her quiver.

Artemis blinked slightly. She had always been sceptical of Kaldurs belief that Robin would one day be the team's leader. After all, the kid was the youngest of the whole group. Sure he had kept a level head during the Red's attack on Mt Justice, and was good in battle. But was he really a leader? Although everyone had commented on it after the exercise, Artemis had been killed too early in the VR training exercise to see Robin take the role. But now she was sure she was getting a taste of the potential everyone else must have seen. Robin had effectively ordered her to do something. And Artemis couldn't even think of disobeying.

Instead, she looked up at the roof. Dark figures were moving across the ledge, engaging each other in battle before backing away. Shouts penetrated the darkness.

"What about Roy and Kaldur?" She asked.

Robin followed her gaze.

"They'll be fine. Red Hood's with them. Plus, Cheshire is crushing too hard on Roy to kill him." Robin replied, turning and walking past the archer. "Come on, before I end up as Cheshire's punching bag." The boy disappeared around the corner.

Softly, Artemis sighed and adjusted the strap of her quiver. Her bow was missing, still on the roof where she had dropped it. But at least she had some weapons. At least she didn't feel totally naked this time. Taking another quick look up at the roof the female archer silently processed the Boy Wonders comment.

"Wait….what?" The female archer called, quickly following Robin around the corner.


	11. Chapter 11

The fight between the trio of heroes and Cheshire was brutal. The female assassin using her skills to her full advantage as she ducked between the archer and the atlantean. But to her surprise, the Red Hood didn't engage in the fight, instead choosing to step back and observe. Every time Cheshire tried to take the fight to him, one of the others stepped in the way. She was getting sick of the archers smug grin every time she was forced to dodge another trick arrow. In fact, she would love nothing more than to set fire to the whole damn quiver. Maybe tie him up and make him watch as his beloved arrows went up in smoke. Hmmm! Tying up the archer was actually a good idea. Maybe she should….

The atlantean lunged forward, forcing Cheshire to once again retreat from Red Hood's position. Mentally, the assassin smacked herself. What was she doing, thinking of the archer like that? Her hit had disappeared, she was being attacked by two surprisingly good fighters and she had thrown her own sister off a building. Now was not the time to think of the archer who had been a constant pain in her side.

Quickly, she re-assessed the fight. And realised that it was pointless. The two heroes were wasting too much of her time and although the Red Hood had a hit on him as big, if not bigger than the Boy Wonder, it was not Cheshire's hit to claim.

Dodging another hit from the archer, Cheshire allowed the two heroes to push her across the roof. Waiting for her best chance, Cheshire smiled under her mask.

"Sorry boys, but I have a job to do." She muttered.

In front of her, the archer's jaw dropped. He raised his bow.

Cheshire threw down a smoke bomb, letting it cover her as she dived off the roof. Behind her, several people shouted.

Words like 'Stop her' and 'she's gone' were shouted as Cheshire managed to grab a flag pole and pull herself onto a ledge. Getting to her feet, the assassin broke into a run, determined to finish her job.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Roy couldn't stop coughing, the smoke from Cheshire's bomb getting into his lungs and depriving him of air. Even then, he tried a half-hearted shout at the escaping assassin. But it was too little too late. Cheshire was gone. And Red Hood hadn't done a damn thing!

Turning, the archer prepared to question the other teen. But Jason was already moving, running towards the other two. Ducking between Roy and Kaldur, Jason threw out a line as he dived off the roof, gaining speed as he flew after Cheshire.

"Dammit!" Roy muttered, quickly exchanging the arrow currently balancing on his bow for another one. He shot it off, a thick cord flying from the back.

"Come on, before the idiot gets himself killed!" He shouted at Kaldur.

The dark skinned teen nodded and followed Roy off the roof, the two racing after Jason.

What they didn't expect to see was Jason, flat on his back, only two roof tops from their fight. Someone had hit him, and hit him hard if Roy's observations were correct.

However, just because the teen was on the ground, it didn't mean he was defenceless. One of the teenagers many guns was held in his steady hand, pointing at a dark figure looming over him.

Roy felt the inside of his mouth go dry as he recognised the figure.

"Oh crap!" He muttered, as Batman looked down at the Red Hood.

"Where is he?" The Dark Knight asked, tone neutral.

Roy could practically hear the unspoken threat as Jason slowly rose to his feet, keeping the gun aimed at Batman's chest.

Under the hood, there was a soft snort.

"What makes you think I know?" Red Hood asked in a cocky tone.

The Dark Knight moved so fast, Roy didn't even see it. One moment, Jason was facing him, gun still raised, the next; Batman's hand was wrapped around his throat, lifting Jason off the ground as the gun clattered on the concrete. Beside Roy, Kaldur moved, clearly planning to intervene. Roy grabbed his arm and held the atlantean in place, shaking his head silently when the dark skinned hero turned to question him. Kaldur slowly relaxed, trusting Roy's judgement.

"Don't play games with me." Batman growled, ignoring his silent audience.

To his credit, Jason's voice didn't even shake.

"Then maybe you should stop playing games with yourself." The younger man shot back.

Roy cringed, waiting for Batman to explode and kill Jason. What he wasn't expecting, was the Dark Knight to lower the Red Hood back to the ground.

The younger man struggled out of the Detectives grip, rubbing his throat. Although Roy couldn't see through the helmet or the mask Jason habitually wore underneath, he could almost feel the glare Jason was shooting at Batman.

The Dark Knight crossed his arms over the Bat across his chest, clearly not interested in Jason's actions. Roy found himself holding his breath and looking for the nearest hiding place. If those two were going to fight, Roy planned to grab Kaldur and run.

There was silence as the two regarded each other, seemingly waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Batman growled.

"Enough!" He warned. "I will find my partner, with or without your help."

Roy swore time slowed down. Jason gasped.

"Are you serious? Are you actually telling me…..Dammit Bruce! We are not talking about your partner, or whatever degrading title you gave the poor kid. We are talking about your son! Your son who you took in when no one else would and who you threw out when he failed to perform to your high standards! The kid who was forced to find me because you couldn't give him the help he clearly needed!"

Jason shoulders were shaking, his hands swinging wildly as he tried to express his outrage.

Batman held up a hand, clearly trying to silence the younger man.

"Jason." He said in a warning tone. But Jason was too far gone to stop.

"Don't Jason me!" He growled. "God knows this isn't about me! Regardless of what happened between us, that bridge is long since burnt. This is about him, and the crappy father you have been to him."

The Red Hood's shoulders slumped suddenly. He sighed.

"Of course, we both know you were never a good father to begin with." This time, there was a hint of sadness in Jason's voice, like he was remembering something sad or painful.

Slowly, Roy released his held breath. It seemed like the explosion was over. Now it was time for the Dark Knights rebuttal. But to Roy's surprise, the older hero seemed frozen to the spot, his masked eyes fixed on the Red Hood. Then slowly, his gaze fell on the ground.

"Yes." He muttered.

Red Hood's head twitched, white lenses once again on the detective.

"Yes, this is about him. I need to make everything right. For my son."

Jason nodded.

"Good." He replied.

"For both my sons." Batman added, ignoring the Red Hood's reply.

There was another pause before Jason finally relaxed.

"Don't push your luck old man." He replied.

Something broke through the silence, like the faint echo of music. All four heroes froze, listening.

"What is that?" Kaldur finally asked, allowing himself to be noticed for the first time.

_'I wanna hold em like they do in Texas, please. Fold em' let them hit me, raise it baby, stay with me.'_

"Poker Face?" Roy asked aloud.

Both Red Hood and Batman stared at him as Roy thought. Finally, he realised what was going on.

"The little brat still has my ipod." He muttered.

Red Hood turned back to Batman.

"It's a signal." He stated. Batman didn't acknowledge the comment, instead turning and striding to the roof, cape flying out behind him like giant wings. Red Hood followed on his heels. In seconds, both men were off the roof and falling through the dark.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In was obvious to Artemis, from the moment she and Robin stepped out onto the road, that they were being followed. People were milling in the street, the nights events having pulled them from their beds. Fear laced the air around the two young heroes as they weaved their way through the crowds, ignoring the glances of the people around them. But even the cover of the crowd was not enough. One glance was all Artemis needed to confirm her fears.

"Robin." She warned, trying to keep her voice low as she grabbed his hand. Knowing what Cheshire wanted; Artemis was not willing to lose Robin, even for a second.

"I know." The boy shot back. But his grip did tighten on Artemis' good hand as he led her through the streets.

Quickly, the Boy Wonder scanned the crowd. His step faulted slightly, as he spotted the black figures moving through the crowd around them. Carefully, he changed direction, leading Artemis on a new course.

Artemis looked behind her again. The figures were drawing closer.

"Robin, there coming." She warned.

Robin didn't stop.

"Don't run until I say so." He ordered.

"What?" Artemis asked.

"Trust me." Robin replied.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, his free hand reaching for his belt. In front of them, one of the figures paused, watching them draw near. Slowly, the figure reached for his back and drew out a long sword. He held it up to the light.

In front of Artemis, Robin smiled. He raised his free hand, several small capsules resting in his palm. He threw them to the ground.

There was a bang and thick smoke appeared, covering part of the crowd and hiding the young heroes. Artemis didn't need Robin's order to break into a run, the two teens ducking and weaving through the panicking crowd,

At one point, someone grabbed Artemis' uninjured shoulder but the girl was quick to react, kicking out and hitting her attacker, who let go and was swallowed up by the press of bodies.

"Come on!" Robin shouted over the screams, pulling Artemis into the relative safety of the side street. There was a series of bins in the corner. Robin quickly ducked down behind them, pulling Artemis with him.

"You are aware this is a dead end, right?" Artemis asked as Robin sat down, his back against the wall.

"We aren't getting out of here without help." The younger teenager replied. The holographic program on his glove flashed, showing an advanced projection.

"Right. I'll call the team then." Artemis replied, trying not to let her impatience show in her voice. She reached up to her ear to activate the comm.

"It will be bugged." Robin muttered, typing something into the screen. "The League of Shadows would have been monitoring it for a while."

Artemis lowered her hand.

"So what do we do?" She asked, trying to think of something. Megan hadn't linked them up and even if Artemis tried calling her, the chances the alien girl would pick up her thoughts were slim. Red Hood's alien girl hadn't looked like a telepath either, and Artemis couldn't think of any other way to call them without the Shadows finding them first.

"There is a music store across the street, right?" Robin asked, not looking up from his screen.

"How should I know?" Artemis shot back as she rummaged in her own belt, looking for anything which she could use. There wasn't a lot, especially now that she was injured.

Robin sighed.

"Could you check?" He asked, still typing.

"What did your last slave die of?" Artemis snapped as despair finally overpowered her.

"ARTEMIS!" Robin shouted, pulling the older girl from her panic. "Get traught. We are going to be ok."

Artemis blinked, suddenly realising how she was acting.

"Are you traught?" Robin asked, finally looking up from the screen.

Artemis nodded her mouth dry.

"Good. Go and see if there is a music store in the street."

Without a word, Artemis turned and stepped closer to the entrance, peering out into the street.

"Robin!" She called. In the street, the Shadows had lined up, creating a moving wall. Any civilian who got too close, was grabbed and quickly studied before being pushed out of the way. The Shadows were searching. At the other end of the street, another wall of figures had formed, this one remaining stationary as the crowd was herded towards them.

"I need an answer Artemis." Robin called.

"Yes. There is a music store. I can see it." The girl called, her eyes falling on the store in question.

Ducking down, Artemis made her way back to the hiding place. She couldn't help but notice the grin on Robins face as the boy reached into his belt. A small silver object was pulled out of one of the compartments. It was an ipod.

Quickly, he connected it to his glove, scrolling through both devices. Then he reached for his belt again.

"Put these in your ears." The Boy Wonder said, handing her two pieces of bright yellow rubber. The younger teen pressed a button before dropping everything and pushing some similar pieces of rubber in his own ears. Artemis followed his example.

Music filled the street. It was soft, almost pleasant. And then suddenly it wasn't, the pitch rattling Artemis to the core.

_'I wanna hold em like they do in Texas, please. Fold em' let them hit me, raise it baby, stay with me'_

"What the hell is this?" Artemis found herself shouting over the noise.

"A campy remake of a campy song!" Robin shouted back, grinning.

_'Luck and intuition, play the cards with spades to start. And after she's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on her heart'_

"I know that!" Artemis shouted back. "You wanna tell me why it's playing?"

"It's a signal." Robin replied, turning off the hologram at his wrist.

_'I'll get her heart, show her what I got. Yeah, I'll get her heart, show her what I got.'_

"Yeah, a signal which leads every Shadow in the city straight to us." Artemis screamed, hoping the idiot next to her would turn off the damn music.

"And every hero!" Robin added.

_'Can't read my, can't read my, no she can't read my poker face. She is got to love nobody.'_

"So what do we do now?" Artemis finally asked, realising what the Boy Wonder was attempting to do.

Robin slowly stood up. Reaching for his belt, he carefully withdrew his eskrima sticks.

"Now I'm going to stop running. Now I'm going to fight." The boy replied before he dived out into the street.

_'Can't read my, can't read my, no she can't read my poker face. She is got to love nobody'_

_'P-p-p-poker face, p-p-poker face.'_

"Robin!"


	12. Chapter 12

_'I wanna hold em like they do in Texas, please. Fold em' let them hit me, raise it baby, stay with me.'_

The three young heroes paused, looking up from their work securing their attackers. Above them, the floating girl turned to look in the direction of the noise.

_'Luck and intuition, play the cards with spades to start. And after she's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on her heart'_

The three shared glances as the young woman above them drifted back to the ground.

_'I'll get her heart, show her what I got. Yeah, I'll get her heart, show her what I got.'_

There was a faint buzz as the three were mentally linked, the music dampened by the mental contact.

Finally, one of the three unfroze.

'What the hell is that?' Wally thought, looking around wildly through his goggles. They had taken down all the assassins in sight, but none of them knew how many more there were in the city.

'I don't know.' Conner replied, dragging one of their attackers over his shoulder as he made his way back to the group. He dropped the prone figure on top of the rest before attempting to brush the remaining dust off his clothes.

'Oh, I like this song!' Megan exclaimed.

Conner, despite himself, smiled.

"You're Gaga." He said in a teasing tone, glad for once that he could not only understand the reference, but initiate it.

Next to him, Megan smiled, blushing slightly.

Wally rolled his eyes. He looked up at the sky again.

"Maybe we should go and check that out." The Speedster suggested, hoping the looks between his favourite martian and the clone would stop.

The other alien girl, Starfire had floated down to stand next to Wally. The 16 year old Tamaranean girl had briefly introduced herself to the group as they had begun their clean up, before flying off to check out the remaining areas. Now she was back and staring intently in the direction of the music.

"Do you know what's going on?" Wally found himself shouting over the noise.

Starfire looked over at him, green eyes staring intently. She shrugged.

"Ok then. That was helpful." Wally muttered, turning back to his team mates.

Megan had floated over to Conner and wrapped her arms around him. She carefully took his weight, pulling him into the air. The two disappeared into the sky, flying towards the noise.

Wally quickly turned to Starfire.

"Ah! Could you…." He trailed off as the girl turned towards him.

Wally tried not to make any undignified noises as she swooped on him, wrapped her arms around his chest.

"Stop struggling." She ordered before dragging him into the air.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Artemis couldn't help but be impressed by what she saw. Robin had jumped into the street and immediately become the Shadows targets, the assassins homing in and swarming around the boy like a plague, ignoring the struggling crowd. But Robin wasn't fazed, ducking and weaving between the press of bodies.

He moved differently now than he did normally. Like a dancer or an acrobat rather than the crime fighting teenager Artemis remembered. The boy would dive in for a hit before retreating, dodging the counter attacks with impressive flips and tumbles.

It was truly amazing to watch.

However, Artemis was realistic. She knew, regardless of how well trained Robin was, the younger hero would tire eventually. And the ever increasing number of Shadows didn't help the hero's odds. Robin was going to get himself killed.

Pulling herself to her feet, Artemis steadied herself against the bins before stepping out into the street.

She may have been injured but she was a fighter, a hero just like the rest of her team. She could and would fight for as long as she could stand. Robin would not face the Shadows alone.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin ducked in and out of danger, twisting his body to avoid the grabbing hands.

It had surprised the young hero that no serious weapons were aimed at him, the assassins grabbing at him rather than lashing out with their many knives.

It was a strange dance, but not one he was unfamiliar with. Many of Gotham's villains worked hard to take him alive; wanting to make him suffer for their many failed plans rather than kill him outright.

The villains had learnt their lesson the hard way when Jason had been murdered by the Joker. Batman had been uncontrollable, lashing out at anyone who stepped out of line. Even Commissioner Gordon had been troubled by the large number of injuries coming into Arkham. Everyone, even the villains, had been relieved when the second Boy Wonder had replaced the first.

They would still make a grab at the kid, but it was the unofficial rule of Gotham. The kid could be captured, could be injured and could be injured badly. But not killed.

Robin had almost fallen over laughing the time the Riddler had smacked the Joker over the head when the Clown Price had captured him and pulled a knife. Sure, Robin had still come out of the whole experience needing stitches and a blood transfusion, but it had certainly been fun to realise that he was off limits. Well, as off limits as was possible for the villains in Gotham.

No one wanted to see the Dark Knight lose it for a second time.

And it seemed that the Shadows had also gotten the memo. Robin twisted his body, avoiding grabbing hands as he ducked between a pair of black covered legs.

Smoke bombs were exploding as he used a lone Shadow as a ladder, scaling up to the man's shoulders before leaping off and landing on another Shadow who collapsed under the sudden weight. Robin rolled as he hit the ground before kicking out at the closest Shadow, his eskrima sticks connecting with a fourth Shadows jaw.

The men collapsed but their fellow assassins ignored the carnage, stepping over the prone forms to make a grab at the teen hero.

One assassin successfully grabbed Robin's cape, pulling the boy off balance but Robin was quicker, catching the latch of the cape and releasing the material, dropping to the ground and jumping up, catching another punch as his cape was left behind.

"Robin!" A voice shouted.

Robin ignored it, continuing to fight as Artemis made her way through the trouble. The girl had jumped into the conflict, taking down several assassins. Despite her injury she fought on, using the element of surprise to her advantage.

Finally, she was back to back with her friend, the two teens working together.

And Artemis realised her mistake. She was injured. Despite her abilities and confidence, Robin needed to cover for her slower reaction time and off balance fighting.

Her attempts to help had just placed more pressure on her friend.

Artemis fought on, trying to cover her friend even though she knew she was failing. But what she didn't expect was the Shadow she engaged in a fight to suddenly back off.

Artemis blinked. Behind her, Robin groaned.

"Oh no." He almost sighed.

Artemis glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes widened as the sight before them.

"Who. Is. That!" The archer gasped.

Robin tensed up, crouching down into a fighting stance.

"Ubu. One of Ra's al Ghul's head assassins." Robin replied, his voice dropping to a whisper.

Artemis felt her heart race.

"He's HUGE!" She whispered back, horrified as she scanned the bald giant.

"Artemis, you need to get out of here." The Boy Wonder muttered.

"What?" Artemis asked as Robin stepped away from her.

"Artemis. Go!" The teen shouted.

The giant leapt at the heroes, his eyes fixed on the young bird.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was with a sense of childish glee that Jason arrived at the scene of the music first. Even as a young boy, he had enjoyed racing Batman across Gotham, trying to beat the Dark Knight to the scene of the crime.

Climbing up onto the ledge, the teenage vigilante looked down into the street. It was a mad house down there, civilians rushing in a panic. Shadows moved through the crown.

Robin was in the middle of it all, using every skill he had as he fought for his life.

Quickly, Jason scanned the crowds, looking for any sign of Cheshire. His little brother could handle himself against the Shadows for a few minutes, but Jason really didn't want to risk not knowing where the female assassin was hiding.

Movement caught the teenager's eye. Something was happening below. The Shadows were backing away from the two heroes they surrounded.

A figure moved through the crowd, pushing past the assassins. Jason blinked. He knew that man. The bald head and dark clothes were burnt into his memory forever.

Ubu. A member of Ra's al Ghul's inner circle.

Jason remembered the giant of a man who had pulled him out of the Lazarus Pit as members of the League watched, all of them ignoring Jason's screams as the newly resurrected teenager fought in the man's grip.

Ubu had not been kind about Jason's struggles or sympathetic as the boy remembered the horrors of his murder. Instead, he had beaten Jason down until the teen stopped struggling.

That abuse had continued every day until Talia had finally smuggled her love's oldest child away from the League and taken him to the All Caste for training.

Without thinking, Jason reached for his hip, grabbing one of his many guns. Batman had failed to disarm him, so Jason didn't feel guilty as he raised the weapon and rested his thumb on the safety catch. He carefully aimed it at the giant man's head, relaxing his body. This had been a long time coming.

He heard the impact before he felt it, Batman crashing into his side and knocking him to the ground. Jason looked up and growled as the Dark Knight help him down.

"No." The detective growled as he looked down at his son. Slowly he rose, taking his weight off Jason.

Cape flying out behind him, Gotham's hero climbed onto the ledge and looked down at the chaos. Then he was gone, stepping off the edge.

Slowly Jason rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on the spot where moments before, his first father figure had disappeared. Reaching down, he picked up the weapon and holstered it. Then he leapt over the ledge and fell into the fight.


	13. Chapter 13

The giant assassin lunged at the two heroes.

Robin reacted quickly, grabbing Artemis' good shoulder and pushing her to safety before diving in the other direction. Artemis over balanced and landed heavily, rolling into a ball to protect herself, her good hand covering her face as Ubu's heavy landing kicked up a layer of dust.

From somewhere in the distance, someone shouted, screaming her name. Someone else stepped over Artemis' prone form, seemingly ignoring the injured girl.

Slowly, the female archer lowered her hand and opened her eyes. Under her breath, she growled.

Cheshire had stepped over her sister before pausing, watching something. Her back blocked Artemis' view, but it wasn't hard to guess what was going on.

Her injured arm still tied to her side and useless, Artemis used her good arm to push herself into a sitting position. She bit back a gasp.

Once she was balanced and relatively pain free, she reached for her belt, unearthing the knife she kept there. It had been a present from her father, one of the few things Sports Master had given her which hadn't ended up in the trash during one of her mother's obsessive bedroom raids after her father left. Small but heavy, it was perfect for throwing.

Artemis steadied herself, balancing her body as her eyes fixed on her sisters back. She drew her arm back, judging her aim.

There was another shout and a crash. Artemis blinked as a flash of red caught her eye. Robin had landed in front of Cheshire, seemingly thrown by the giant assassin. Artemis held her breath, hoping that the Boy Wonder would move, would forget about being a hero and run, but the younger heroes movements were too slow, sluggish as the boy tried to raise himself up.

A figure was walking closer, towards Cheshire and Robin. Artemis gasped at the giant.

"No!" She screamed, hurling the knife.

In front of her, Cheshire turned. The knife sailed through the air, its aim true. Cheshire ducked out of the way but wasn't quick enough, the knife catching the female assassin across the shoulder before it fell away.

The older girl hissed in pain before turning and advancing on Artemis.

Artemis tried to shuffle backwards, to put some distance between herself and the woman who she once called sister, but Cheshire was too fast. Reaching with one hand, Cheshire grabbed a handful of Artemis' hair, giving it a hard tug which made Artemis' eyes water. Artemis looked up at her sister, trying to hide the pain as the assassin pulled her closer, almost dragging her off the ground by her blond hair.

"Jade. Please." She begged softly.

"No." Cheshire replied.

Cheshire jerked Artemis' head back, ignoring the sickening sound as the girls head hit the concrete with a thud.

Standing above her sister, Cheshire watched as Artemis' eyes slowly closed, the girl losing her fight to remain conscious. Reaching down to the girl's neck, the woman quickly checked her sister's pulse. She shook her head before once again rising to her feet. Turning away from the fallen hero, the assassin once again gave her attention to the fight in front of her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robin was acting on instinct as he pushed Artemis to the side before ducking away from the assassin. The Boy Wonder knew from experience that he couldn't take down this guy. Hell, the last time he had faced Ubu, back at Cape Canaveral, the assassin had almost killed Batman. It had only been through luck that the dynamic duo had managed to stop him and ultimately, the League of Shadows plan. This time, Robin was alone. He had no choice but to run and hope that he could escape.

Ducking again as the giant lunged at him, Robin attempted to twist his body to avoid the grabbing hands. A hand wrapped around his foot, pulling him off balance. Somewhere far off, a voice screamed, shouting a name. Robin kicked out, attempting to dislodge the hand on his foot but Ubu was a lot stronger than him, dragging the struggling teenager closer. Suddenly Robin was upside down, the hand on his foot like an iron clamp.

Robin reached for his belt as Ubu's stern face swung into view.

And then he was flying, thrown to the ground by the giant. The Boy Wonder gasped in pain before struggling to his feet, his head spinning. A shadow loomed over him. Ubu's hand came out of nowhere, catching Robin on the back and sending the teen back to the ground. A foot was forced under Robin's chest before he was lifted again, kicked a few feet before landing heavily on the ground once more, the sudden landing causing Robin to shout out in pain.

Slowly and painfully pushing himself to his hands and knees, Robin glanced upwards as a shadow fell over him. He blinked, trying not to cringe at the frightening grin above him as Cheshire loomed, watching his struggles.

There was a shout, almost a scream from behind Cheshire.

The female assassin turned and dived to the side but Robin still heard the sudden gasp of pain, the clang of metal, as the knife nicked the assassin's shoulder before falling to the ground. The assassin growled, forgetting about Robin as she stalked over to where Artemis lay.

Robin opened his mouth, to warn Artemis or distract Cheshire when a hand grabbed the back of his neck. Breath suddenly gone, Robin found himself being lifted off the ground once more. A large hand was placed over his mouth and nose, cutting off his air.

Robin struggled, trying to dislodge Ubu's hand and get free. His head started to spin, his lungs started to burn. Both were side effects from the lack of oxygen reaching his brain.

Fighting the panic which threatened to overwhelm him (Not whelm. Not whelm at all.) Robin reached blindly for his belt. Grabbing for the first thing he could reach, his hands found some of the many pellets he kept in the pockets. He didn't know which ones they were or what they did but at that moment, he really didn't care as he threw them backwards into the assassin's face.

There was a bang as the pellets when off. Behind the Boy Wonder, Ubu grunted, his grip on the teen hero disappearing. Robin dropped to the ground, unable to stop his own fall and clung to the ground as around him, the world spun. Taking deep breaths to satisfy his oxygen starved lungs, Robin blindly looked around, for some sort of escape. Several Shadows were standing by, seemingly watching the fight but not getting involved. However, one clearly was. Cheshire was kneeling over Artemis, her hand pressed to the archer's neck.

Struggling to his feet, Robin attempted to step closer, to get Cheshire away from Artemis.

The assassin rose, seemingly losing interest in her sister as she turned to face the hero. Reaching to his belt, Robin pulled out one of his eskrima sticks.

A hand grabbed his wrist, twisting until Robin thought the bone would snap. With a cry, Robin released the weapon and turned, trying to kick out at Ubu. The assassin tightened his grip on Robin's arm, catching the stick as it fell. He raised it high before swinging it down, catching Robin on the side of the head.

The teen hero dropped to the ground, barely conscious as the assassin raised the weapon a second time.

Above him, the man smirked.

A loud bang sounded, followed by a scream. Another bang and another echoed. On the fourth bang, Ubu jolted forward, dropping the eskrima stick beside Robin's head. The giant turned with a growl.

In the faint light, Robin could see blood trickling down his back, staining his green suit.

Silence washed over the street before a great cry sounded, Ubu disappearing from Robin's sight. The Boy Wonder's vision slowly began to fade, a throbbing pain in his head becoming more and more noticeable.

Exhausted and injured, Robin finally gave into the pain and allowed himself to fall into darkness.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The street was in chaos as Jason landed, his knees folding to absorb the shock of hitting the concrete. Around him, civilians and Shadows moved in complex but seemingly random patterns.

Jason didn't think as he dived into the fray, lashing out at any figure which was unfortunate enough to come within the teenagers reach.

Which was not nearly as many assassins as Jason had expected, the Shadows skirting around the Red Hood and instead, racing towards the Dark Knight, or Aqualad and Arsenal, both of whom had arrived in the chaotic street. Somewhere on the other side of the street, Jason could see Starfire working with a few young heroes which must be the rest of the Junior Justice League. He pushed those thoughts from his mind, turning back to his main objective.

Moving closer to where he had seen his little brother moments before, Jason tried to find a flash of red in the sea of black.

There! A flash of red. But also several flashes of green. Under his breath, Jason growled. Working quickly, he made his way towards the scene, grabbing blindly and pushing everyone out of his way. One Shadow tried to stop his progress but Jason quickly punched the assassin, leaving the figure to drop to the ground, clutching at his broken nose.

Ubu, Al Ghul's favourite assassin, had cornered Robin and was brutally beating the kid down even as Jason's little brother fought to get away. Jason's movements became more urgent as he saw the hulk of a man pick up his kid brother, depriving Robin of oxygen as the boy desperately fought.

There was a bang as Robin retaliated, a small explosion catching Ubu in the face. The giant fell backwards, releasing the teenager to try and protect his burning face and eyes. Robin hit the ground hard.

Another wave of panicking civilians rushed past Jason and slowed him down, the people clearly directed towards him by several assassins in the crowd. Jason looked around and noticed the black clad figures all around him, trying to block him or heard him, Jason didn't know or care. Once again, Jason growled.

There was another sound, a cry of pain. Jason's head shot around, his gaze fixed on his brother. Ubu had grabbed Robin's arm and forced it into a painful angle. The giant had also somehow managed to grab a long metal staff which he raised high. Jason closed his eyes, suddenly feeling sick as he realised what was going to happen. He couldn't block his ears though, as he heard the unmistakable sound of metal hitting flesh.

He opened his eyes again. Suddenly, he wasn't in the middle of a crowded street. He was in an old warehouse. In front of him, a man stood. In front of the man was a bundle of red and black, a bundle that was once a teenage boy. The man raised a long piece of metal over his head, light flashing off it. An insane giggle filled the air.

Jason didn't think. The older teen reached for his gun. In a matter of seconds, the Red Hood had the gun in his hand, pointing it at the laughing figure. He flicked the safety, placed his finger on the trigger and aimed to kill.

The first bang brought Jason back to himself, the Shadow in front of him dropping dead in a shower of blood as the bullet entered his head. Another Shadow lunged towards the young vigilante with a wild cry. Jason turned, pulling the trigger a second time. A third shadow and a third bullet before Jason finally had a clear shot of his target. Aiming at the giant, Jason took a deep breath before pulling the trigger.


	14. Chapter 14

M'gann dropped Conner on the ledge, making sure her boyfriend landed safely before looking down at the scene below them. The street was in chaos, people running in every direction. The music pulsed louder and louder, making verbal communication impossible. Quickly, she linked with the three minds closest to her.

The Martain scanned the crowd, looking for her friends as behind her, Wally and Starfire appeared.

'Thanks for waiting.' Wally grumbled in his mind as he rubbed his arms, trying to regain circulation lost during the flight. Next to him, Starfire started. Clearly the other girl had been taken off guard by the sudden voices in her mind.

'You are in my head.' She commented, looking wide eyed at Wally.

'I sure am beautiful.' The speedster replied, winking as in front of her, Conner glanced at M'gann.

'I'm sorry.' M'gann thought quickly, feeling Conner's disapproval. 'I added you to make communication easier but I guess I forgot to tell you.'

Starfire smiled, a little uneasily.

'That is alright. Jason often says I shouldn't be surprised by anything humans do anymore. He says he isn't.'

M'gann wasn't sure whether she should be pleased that the other girl labelled her behaviour as human, or whether she should be insulted that someone had said such things about such an incredible race. Almost like he could feel her confliction, Conner reached over and took M'gann's hand.

Below in the street, something caught the girls eye.

Artemis and Robin were standing side by side, shadows circling them.

Reaching down mentally, M'gann added Artemis to the link, giving a slight tug to let the blond girl know the link was open. Artemis didn't even both replying. M'gann paused, unsure whether she should add Robin as well. Robin had been so angry when he was with the Red Hood and had forcibly rejected the link. Would he do that again? Would he push the team away again?

M'gann was woken from her musing suddenly as Robin moved, pushing Artemis off her feet before diving away. A green figure landed, dust flying everywhere.

M'gann felt the sudden jolt as Artemis landed, the archer unable to completely block the pain from the link.

'ARTEMIS!' M'gann screamed through the link. She felt her feet leave the ground. Conner reached up and grabbed her arm, holding M'gann in place.

'Wait!'

Suddenly, the clone moved, grabbing Wally as the speedster tried to duck past.

M'gann paused, watching the scene below them. The green figure had turned away from Artemis, ignoring her as he walked in the other direction.

'Why are we waiting?' She cried though the link, trying to break out of Conner's grasp. On the other side, Wally was pulling frantically in the Clones grip.

'I don't like it.' The clone hissed, scanning the scene below with wide blue eyes. 'Something is very wrong.'

'Don't like it?' Wally thought, sounding slightly hysterical. 'What's to like? Artemis and Rob are down there!' The speedster continued to twist in Conner's grip.

M'gann reached out with her mind, trying to do something. She needed to find another way to help her friends without lashing out at Conner. Suddenly she found some familiar minds. Kaldur and Roy.

Quickly, she pulled them into the link.

'Aqualad! Artemis and Robin are in trouble!' She called.

'We are on our way.' Aqualad replied. M'gann could almost hear as the two raced across the rooftops, trying to find the fastest way to the scene. A stray thought past through the group link.

'Dammit Jay, why the hell did you have to run off?' The voice muttered.

M'gann carefully ignored it. The whole team had learnt from previous experiences that Roy had difficulty keeping his thoughts to himself and tended to project anything and everything on his mind. Carefully blanking out Roy's dark mutters against Robin, the Bat and someone called Jason (Who she was sure Starfire had mentioned at least once), the martian girl turned back to scan the crowd. She gasped as abruptly, one of the links was cut.

Artemis was on the ground, Cheshire looming over her. It didn't take much effort to realise that she had been knocked out. Only feet away, Robin was being held off the ground by a giant green assassin, thrashing in his grip.

M'gann once again tried to break out of her super strong boyfriends grip but Conner wouldn't let go. The boy was still as a statue, like he was frozen. Behind them there was a flash of green light and Starfire gave a scream. Conner moved suddenly, pushing both M'gann and Wally to the side before he jumped, arms out to catch Star as she fell. Both hit the ground, Conner bending his knees to take the impact.

Before he could steady himself another flash of light shot out of the darkness, hitting them both. Conner rolled, trying to protect the unconscious alien in his arms as a wave of sickness rolled over him. The teen shook his head, trying to get rid of the feeling.

He carefully laid the girl on the ground before turning around, struggling to rise to his feet. Wally had moved first, running to where Conner had been standing moments before. The speedster paused, unable to pinpoint where the light had come from. M'gann flew above him, eyes glowing as she looked around. Her eyes settled on the darkness spreading across the rooftop. Another flash of green light shot out, catching her in the back. M'gann screamed in pain and dropped. Wally shot towards the light, prepared to fight.

Another light hit him, sending him sprawling.

Conner forced himself to his feet, taking a shaky step forward. Something green rolled out of the shadows and towards him, coming to rest at his feet. Conner looked down at it.

It looked like a green crystal, polished to a high shine. Light was radiating from its core.

Another wave of nausea rolled over the clone. He dropped to his knees, fighting the urge to heave.

Once, long ago, Superboy had overheard Robin and Batman talking about something called Kryptonite. The Boy Wonder had been asking if it would affect Superboy the way it affected Superman. Conner had pointedly ignored it at the time, the hurts the Man of Steel had inflicted on him still too raw. But now Conner couldn't help but wonder if this was what he was dealing with. If he had the same vulnerabilities as his DNA Donor.

Holding himself up by his shaking arms, Conner looked around, trying to find out who was hurting his friends. Something hard collided with his back. Pain shot through his body, almost clouding his mind.

Conner felt his vision start to fade. Slowly, his mind started to drift until all he saw was black.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bullet smashed into Ubu's shoulder, knocking the man forward to almost crush the young hero at his feet. Under the mask, Jason swore and pulled the trigger again, hoping to kill the man, or at least knock him away from his little brother. There was a soft click and the barrel slid forward. Out of ammunition. Dammit.

Jason looked at the gun in surprise before growling, throwing the now useless weapon to the ground. He had never been in the habit of carrying spare rounds, and now he was paying for it. In front of him, the giant assassin turned, setting his sights on Jason. The man stared.

For a second, Jason contemplated reaching for another of his concealed guns. Then he remembered his other weapons. Reaching up, Jason found the catch for his helmet, letting the latches slid open. Gripping the helmet in both hands, Jason slid the red metal off his head and dropped it to the ground, kicking it towards the assassin. He slowly reached up and patted down his sweaty hair and adjusted his red mask, his covered eyes watching the giant before him. Ubu glared, clearly remembering Jason from their previous meeting.

The young vigilante reached into his leather jacket. There was a slight resistance before Jason felt the glide of metal moving past soft leather. The twin blades glittered in the faint light as Jason carefully weighted the twin blades in his hands.

He gave the assassin a smile and nodded as the helmet between them suddenly started to glow.

Ubu lunged.

The helmet exploded, catching the assassin on the chest. Sensing his chance, Jason ran forward to meet his opponent.

The assassin recovered quickly, catching Jason's wrist and kicking out. Jason dropped to his knees, the kick missing his head by inches as the former hero brought his free hand into play, burying the knife in Ubu's calf. The assassin gave a shout and pushed Jason away, the young vigilante losing his grip on the dagger buried in the assassins solid muscle. Jason landed on his back and rolled, landing in a crouch. He held his second knife up, watching for another attack. A shadow shot out, rushing towards him.

Jason reached out, catching Cheshire's arm as the woman attempted to grab him. A punch and a roll and Jason grinned in triumph, his weight holding Cheshire under him, the knife pressed to her throat. Cheshire growled and tried to knock Jason off, but Jason held on through the violent jolts.

The female assassin suddenly went limp under Jason's hands.

Under his mask, Jason blinked as the woman started laughing. Soft footprints drew close.

Jason dived to the side, rolling Cheshire on top of him as Ubu lashed out, the raised fist missing both assassin and vigilante on its downward swing.

Cheshire used the new position to her advantage, breaking Jason's grip and flipping herself off the hero. A hand grabbed Jason's ankle. Jason kicked out, hitting Ubu as the assassin pulled him closer.

The giant reached towards Jason's neck, but the younger man was quicker, lashing out with the second dagger. Ubu released Jason to avoid the sharp metal. Jason used those few seconds to his advantage, putting as much distance between himself and his attacker before preparing himself for the next round of attacks.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Batman! There is a problem."

The Dark Knight growled softly as he jumped across the roof.

"Not now Clark!" He muttered into his communicator.

There was a moment of silence as the Man of Steel tried to collect himself. Batman slowed down, catching himself on the ledge. The detective looked down into the street. People were rushing back and forward in a panic, creating a chaotic scene. Quickly, Batman tried to find any sign of either of his boys. Gun shots echoed through the street, followed by screams of fear. Under his cowl, Batman's eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the red helmet.

In the middle of a rapidly growing circle, Jason was standing, his gun raised and several black clothed men on the ground around him.

Reaching into his belt, the Dark Knight pulled out a batarang, raising it high over his head.

"Batman, the team is gone!" Superman almost shouted into the comm, breaking the detective's concentration. Batman could hear the panic in the kryptonians voice. Batman fought back the sigh as below him, Jason lowered the gun. Batman mimicked his son, lowering the batarang.

"They are here Clark." He explained as below him, Jason took off his helmet. Only feet away from the teen, Robin lay in a crumpled heap. The young hero was out cold. However, people were stepping over him, ignoring the boy who, in such a state, was no longer a threat. For the moment the boy was safe.

Batman prepared to dive into the fight when something else caught his eye. The Shadows were leaving the street, disappearing into the darkness. Soon only two were left.

"Batman, we are on our way." Superman replied though the comm. Batman carefully ignored him as his eyes fell on Ubu, Ras Al Ghul's head Shadow. The assassin was charging towards Jason.

Jason's helmet exploded, dazing Ubu. Under the mask, Bruce winched. He had fallen for that trick before. Using all his willpower, Bruce stopped himself from jumping off the roof and diving into the fight, to stop Jason or help him, the detective wasn't sure. He and Jason may have been estranged, but he was still a father and couldn't stand the thought of one of his boys facing the assassin without him, especially when his other boy was in such a compromised position.

"What are you planning Ras?" He muttered to himself as below him, Jason leapt towards the stunned assassin.


	15. Chapter 15

Jade carefully stepped out the fight, watching the Red Hood's movements as the teenager charged towards Ubu. The young vigilante was good. Very good. It was no surprise the Demon's Head wanted the teen for himself.

Cheshire had managed to score a hit earlier, her knife tangling in the other teens jacket and ripping into it. Several knives had fallen at the Red Hood had shaken her off, but he had still managed to catch her in the back, dinting her armour.

The female assassin looked around. The street was littered with debris, the remains of a panic stricken crowed. A green figure lay in the rubble, a fine layer of dust covering blond hair. Laying only feet away was a red figure.

Turning back to the fight before her, Cheshire started to think. Lord Al Ghul had given specific tasks to each of his operatives to complete. It wasn't her fault if Ubu couldn't complete his but she was not going to let his troubles stop her from doing her job. Turning away from the scene, she walked over to the red figure.

Reaching down, she grasped the red tunic in both her hands and pulled, hefting the figure over her shoulder. She grunted at the weight shift.

"Jeeze kid. Eating some more wouldn't kill you." She muttered to the unconscious boy.

Unsurprisingly, the young hero didn't reply.

"Alright little bird. Let's get you to your new home before the big guys show up." Jade continued as she made her way into the side alley.

Carefully scanning her surroundings, the female assassin planned her escape. A long, drawn out crunch filled the alleyway. The assassin froze.

"Put him down and step away now!" A voice growled from the shadows behind her.

With a sigh, Cheshire swung around.

"Didn't your lovely mentor teach you not to sneak up on people?" She asked pointedly, carefully moving her hostage to shield her body. "Or are you so desperate for his attention that you conveniently forgot, Arrow?"

Red Arrow's face froze, his bow trained on Cheshire.

"I don't think you have any right to lecture me, Sports Masters daughter."

"Touché." Cheshire replied, smiling under her mask. She loved the back and forth with the older archer. "How about we settle this like we usually do? For old times' sake."

"How about you put him down? Then we settle this." Roy replied.

"I would love that. Unfortunately lover boy, I don't have the time. But I am sure you will be seeing me again. With this one in tow, of course." She said, indicating to her captive.

Roy released his arrow, forcing Jade to duck out of the way as it exploded behind her. The assassin replied in kind, throwing down a smoke bomb as she ran towards him. Roy ducked, preparing for Cheshire's attack. An attack with never came.

Roy looked around wildly, searching for any signs of Cheshire and Robin.

There! On the fire escape!

Roy reached into his quiver to pull out an arrow. His hand grasped at empty air.

Above him, Cheshire laughed, holding up his weapons.

"You know, I think I am going to like having a little brother." She said, throwing the arrows back down to their owner. Under his mask, Roy's eyes widened. He dived out of the way as the first tip hit the ground and exploded.

Finally safe, Roy looked up at the fire escape. Unsurprisingly, Cheshire was gone.

Activating his comm, Roy looked up at the sky.

"Kaldur, Cheshire is running right towards you. She has Robin with her."

"Found her." Aqualad replied. "Roof top."

"On my way." Roy called as he slung his bow over his shoulder and started running, taking a flying leap and catching the fire escape. Grapping his second communicator, Roy activated it in one hand, using the other to swing himself higher. "Red Hood, Cheshire's got Robin!"

"Hang on." Jason grunted down the line. "Gotta put a stop to Ubu first."

Roy grinned slightly as he hit the ladder, pulling himself up onto the next flight before continuing his talk.

"So you want me to wait for you?" He teased.

There was a crash from the other end of the line, followed by a soft growl. "Just get my brother away from her Arrow Head."

Despite the clear danger, Roy grinned and continued on his journey.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason held his arms raised to protect his head as the giant assassin lashed out, blocking each swing as he was forced backwards. His second knife had long since disappeared when Cheshire had attempted to tackle him to the ground. Jason had managed to fend the female off but his leather jacket had taken a beating, weapons hitting the ground around him. Almost completely defenceless, Jason was quickly running out of options short of killing the two assassins before him with his bare hands.

Ubu turned suddenly, his foot catching Jason on the knee and sending the younger man to the ground. Jason grunted as his head hit the concrete. The street swum in and out of Jason's vision as the young vigilante tried to regain his bearings. A foot landed on his chest, pinning Jason to the ground.

Jason had enough sense to grab the foot and prevent it crushing his rib cage as Ubu towered over him. The assassin grinned down at his captive before slowly putting more and more weight on his foot.

In his glove, his communicator buzzed. Pushing hard, Jason managed to rub the device against Ubu's boot, activating it.

"Red Hood, Cheshire's got Robin!"

Pushing hard on the boot, Jason tried to force it off his body.

"Hang on!" He painted. "Gotta put a stop to Ubu first." He replied.

Fighting to draw a breath, Jason became aware of a sticky liquid on his gloves. A dark stain was running down Ubu's leg from the gash in his calf. Reaching up, Jason drove his thumb into the wound.

Ubu screamed like a wounded bull as he moved away, freeing Jason.

The Red Hood gasped for breath. His communicator buzzed again.

"So you want me to wait for you?" Roy asked.

Rolling onto his stomach, the Red Hood only just spotted the dark shadow before Batman crashed into Ubu. The Red Hood couldn't help it. He growled softly.

"Just get my brother away from her Arrow Head!" He barked down the line before turning the communicator off and rolling to his feet. His knee felt like it was on fire and he was sure he could taste blood in his mouth, but Jason couldn't find it within himself to care as before him, his once father and mentor fought against the assassin.

Slowly, Jason's eyes were drawn upwards. A green glow was speeding through the sky like shooting star, heading straight towards the street.

"Brilliant." Jason found himself muttering.

In front of him, Batman was knocked into the wall by a powerful punch, brickwork shattering around the Dark Knight. A red and blue blur hit Ubu as he lunged at Batman, knocking the assassin across the street. Ubu came to rest at the reinforced boots of the Flash, the Speedster grinning down at the figure as more and more League members arrived in the street. On the other side, Superman offered his hand to Batman, intending to help the detective to his feet. Batman ignored the offer, pushing himself up. He turned, his covered eyes falling on Jason for a moment before the Dark Knight turned away, ignoring the Red Hood.

Jason looked around as the League crowded the street, flushing the shadows out from their hiding spots.

Of course, it was the Flash who got the first word in.

"So all of this is great but….where are the kids?" he asked, looking around the street.

Jason rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you got this." The teenager said before turning and limping into the alleyway.


	16. Chapter 16

Robin felt his body jolt, the sudden sharp movement bringing him back to his senses. Wind was drifting through his hair which seemed to be at an odd angle, and something hard was digging into his stomach. The side of his head hurt from a solid blow and he had no idea what was going on around him. Although he couldn't open his eyes, the Boy Wonder was almost certain at least half of him was upside down.

Another jolt knocked the breath from Robin's bruised chest. Gasping, Robin forced his eyes open. He blinked in confusion as green filled his vision.

Blinking hard, Robin tried to remember what had happened. He had fought Ubu, the assassin easily countering all his attacks and making him look like a fool. He remembered being beaten down, trying to get away and then nothing. Had he been captured? Had he been killed? Ok, totally not aster. And since when was heaven so green?

Like his brain was trying to punish him for thinking such a stupid thought, the head ache returned.

Ok, not dead. So what was going on?

Another jolt caught him in the stomach, this one accompanied with a sudden gasp. A gasp which didn't come from him.

Raising his head slightly, Robin could confirm his suspicions. The green was material. A short green dress covering a pair of running feet. Somewhere behind him, someone was painting for breath.

Suddenly Robin felt a lurch as the feet stopped, skidding to a halt. There was a pause as an arm reached up, wrapping around Robin's waist.

"Well, if it isn't the Atlantean." A female voice said.

Robin winced slightly as he recognised that voice. Cheshire. Crap.

"Release him." Kaldurs voice came from somewhere in the distance. An order which Robin had learnt to never disobey. But clearly Cheshire hadn't received the memo. Robin could almost feel the villain purr her reply.

"I don't think so."

'Right, that's enough of that.' Robin thought to himself. He acted quickly, forcing his knee into Cheshire's stomach. The assassin gasped, her arm dropping from around Robin's waist to wrap around her stomach. Robin moved quickly, rolling off the villains shoulder and onto the ground.

Struggling to his feet, Robin took a few steps forward, trying to get out of range.

A hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him off balance.

Robin spun around to see Cheshire's grinning mask. A mask which was jerked backwards suddenly. Robin stumbled backwards, landing hard on the ground. He winced as in front of him, Cheshire cursed, trying to grab at the arm holding her as she was pulled backwards.

Behind her, Kaldur tightened his grip. One arm was wrapped around Cheshire's shoulders, holding her arms tightly while the other reached to the holster on his back.

The hard water barer was pulled from its sheath, the magic edge glowing.

As suddenly as he had grabbed her, Kaldur released her, letting Cheshire stumble forward. The assassin spun around, already reaching for her knives. The metal shone in the dawn light.

"Oh, let's do this."

The female assassin lunged at Aqualad.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jason cringed as he landed on the heavy metal frame of the fire escape, his knees protesting at the shock landing.

The mad dash from the street was made more challenging by the Red Hoods injuries, as well as Roy's continued comments. The archer refused to shut up for anything short of imaginative death threats which the vigilante was supplying the best he could.

Following the stairs up, Jason finally pulled himself onto the roof. A hand grabbed him, pulling him down.

Jason looked at the person who had the nerve to try and grab him but Roy was quicker, raising a finger to his lips to silence Jason.

"Listen." The archer hissed. "Can you hear that?" He asked, as if Jason could hear anything except the horrible music still playing in the street below.

Under his mask, Jason glared at him.

"Your terrible playlist? Yeah, I've heard it." He shot back.

For a moment, Jason was sure Roy was going an impression of the Bat glare. And a good one, if Jason was going to be completely honest, not that he would ever say that aloud.

"No!" Roy hissed, still keeping his voice low. "Listen harder."

Jason did.

There was something. The music from the street covered it up fairly well, but there was another sound, growing louder and louder. A whooshing sound. A sound which was growing louder with each passing second.

"Helicopters?" Jason finally asked.

Both vigilantes turned, looking into the morning sky. A dark shape was drawing closer and closer, hovering over the city.

"Reinforcements." Jason muttered.

Both teenagers sprung to their feet, racing (or in Jason's case limping) across the rooftops. If Cheshire got Robin to that helicopter first, then it was game over for everyone.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheshire ducked out of the way of the hard water knife, pulling a face under her mask as she kicked out, narrowly avoiding a heavy boot aimed at her head. She had expected a fight with the Atlantean, but not the little bird causing her anymore trouble. Her target was a persistent little thing, trying to join in the fight and making it difficult from Cheshire to concentrate on putting down his team mate. Admittedly, the kid was a lot slower than during their earlier fight, the strain of the nights activates taking their toll on the boy.

But it seemed that every time Cheshire gained the upper hand, the bird was there, pulling her off balance and allowing the older teen to regain control of the fight. It was irritating.

The teen's seemingly endless supply of weapons was another concern. Cheshire had noted the belt which the bird wore and which, like the Red Hood's jacket, seemed to harbour an almost unlimited supply of playthings. Cheshire had immediately targeted it and after several attempts, was successful at her task, her knife catching the belt and cutting through the material. The bird immediately tried to snatch it up but Cheshire had reacted quickly, kicking the boy into the Atlantean and pushing them both off balance as she kicked the belt over the edge.

The boy had immediately tried to flee, to go after his belt but Cheshire had stopped him. Now the two were standing side by side, their defences up, waiting for the assassin's next attack. But Cheshire didn't have another attack planned. She didn't need it.

Even now she could hear the helicopter drawing closer. Fresh shadows would be aboard, ready to replace the old, defeated ones. The two heroes before her, already worn out from a long night of fighting, would not last long against this new threat. All she needed to do was to keep them from their team until help arrived.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The helicopter was getting closer and closer, the noise almost deafening the two teenagers as they forced themselves to move faster.

Jason was so close he could see the fight now, could see Cheshire standing on the roof before both Aqualad and Robin. The assassin was maybe 500 metres away, her back to the two arriving teens, unaware of their impending arrival. But that meant nothing. Jason could already guess what would happen when that helicopter arrived. He pushed himself to move faster.

400 metres. 300. 2. There was a jump in front of him. One jump which separated his little brother from him. Jason sped up, ready to launch himself across the roof top. Something heavy hit him, knocking him to the ground. Jason struggled under the sudden weight, trying to push it off him as hands gripped onto his shoulders. The helicopter roared overhead, the wheels only inches from his body, the down draft powerful enough to hold him in place for a few seconds.

The heavy weight rolled off him.

Jason looked over at Roy as the archer climbed back to his feet. Normally, Jason would be curing Roy's sudden actions, but he didn't have time. Climbing to his feet, Jason looked across at the other roof top. The helicopter was slowly landing, blocking Jason's view of the fight as it balanced on the ledge.

He knew what would happen now. Shadows would appear. They would grab Robin. They would take him away.

"Over my dead body." The Red Hood muttered.

Taking a few steps backwards, Jason took a deep breath. Then he jumped.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sportsmaster peered through the windscreen and down at the fight. Cheshire was holding off the two heroes, stopping them from moving as she awaited his arrival. Under his mask, he grinned. He had trained his oldest daughter well. Jade was the spitting image of her mother, all power and trickery. At least before Paula went and lost her backbone. Before she went running to the heroes for safety. Now if only Artemis had turned out like her sister instead of her mother.

Lowering the helicopter to the roof top, the mercenary signalled for the Shadows to begin their work. The assassins moved quickly, opening the door and jumping out to surround the heroes and their fellow assassin.

Lawrence Crock grinned again, handing over control to his co-pilot before pulling on the safety harness. The Batman had been one of the 'heroes' who had turned Artemis against him. Now Lawrence planned to return the favour. Let the detective feel the pain of losing a child to the other side.

Something crashed into the side of the helicopter. Sportsmaster turned in is seat, his hands still on the final harness holding him in place. The second door slid open. A dark figure jumped inside, rolled and jumped out the first door, crashing into Cheshire and taking her by surprise.

The harness opened, the buckle giving way as Sportsmaster jumped to his feet. He climbed out of the cockpit and into the back, grabbing a strap on the roof to guide himself safely to the door.

On the roof top, Cheshire had regained her senses and engaged the figure in a fight, ignoring the surrounding shadows as they closed in on the two captured heroes.

Reaching to the side, Sportsmaster reached for his weapons.

A pair of boots hit him in in the back, knocking him out of the helicopter and onto the ground. Sportsmaster rolled quickly onto his back, ready for whatever his attacker had planned.

Red Arrow looked down at him.

And to think, Sportsmaster thought it was going to be a boring day.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_'That looked like it hurt.'_

_'How did you think this was going to end little sis?'_

_'We aren't getting out of here without help.'_

_'Get traught! We are going to be ok.'_

_'Artemis MOVE!'_

_'Artemis'_

_'Artemis?'_

'ARTEMIS!'

The young archer gasped, trying to muffle the scream as she awoke. Strong hands help her, stopped her from moving. Artemis looked wildly at the red and blue shape above her. She blinked for a moment before realising who it was.

Superman and Superboy looked way to similar some times.

Trying to slow her racing heart, the female archer looked around. The street was a mess, rubble and dust coating everything. No civilians were around but Artemis could see several costumed heroes walking through the street. Miss Martian was one of them, holding Superboy's arm as the Boy of Steel wobbled slightly, trying to dust himself down. Kid Flash was also present, being supported by his uncle as he took a shaky step. A giant green lump was laying a few metres away from them, the heroes ignoring it.

Artemis almost gave a sigh of relief as she recognised the lump. Ubu was defeated. Robin would be safe….Robin!

The girl shot up, surprising the Man of Steel as she searched the street for the Boy Wonder. Nothing.

She looked up again.

"Robin! Is he ok? Where is he?" She asked desperately, gripping Superman's arm.

The kryptonian gave her a sad look.

A dark shape moved into her vision. The teenage girl looked up at the Dark Knight.

"We don't know." Batman replied, looking down at her.


	17. Chapter 17

Picking himself off the ground, Sportsmaster smiled. The archer before him was a joke, a shadow of a hero. And only he knew it. Sure, his daughter had a little crush on the kid, but he didn't control her. And he didn't want to. No matter what Jade did, she would never disappoint him as much as Artemis had, even if she couldn't stop flirting with the 'hero'. After all, Jade wasn't stupid enough to let it go any further. She wasn't stupid enough to fall for a hero.

The archer stood before him, bow forgotten across his shoulder. His fists were raised in a fighting stance, inviting Sportsmaster to attack.

Sportsmaster lunged forward, his fist missing the hero by a hairs width as the younger man dodged. Red Arrow returned in kind, ducking down to balance his body, his foot kicking out and catching Sportsmaster on the knee. The villain jumped backwards, waiting for a few moments for Red Arrow to climb back to his feet and lunge forward again.

Sportsmaster once again side stepped, this time catching Red Arrow around his neck and pulling him off balance. The hero responded by driving his elbow into Sportsmasters stomach. The mercenary jerked his knee forward, digging it into the younger man's back before releasing the kid.

Red Arrow gave a cry of pain and stumbled to the ground. Sportsmaster advanced on him.

Reacting quickly, Red Arrow removed the bow from his shoulder and turned, swinging the weapon around to connect with his attackers head. The bow cracked, breaking apart in its owners hands and becoming nothing but a mess of red painted wood and string.

Sportsmaster blinked, shaking off the shock of the blow as Red Arrow fell back, trying to put some distance between the two of them.

Softly, Sportsmaster started to laugh.

"Well, look at you." He said.

Red Arrow lunged, fists raised. Sportsmaster reached out, catching Red Arrows wrists and pulling the archer close.

"Still just a broken arrow." The villain finished.

Red Arrow froze in the villain's grip, his face going blank. Releasing the hero, Sportsmaster stepped back, admiring his work. He stepped closer again, delivering two quick punches to the hero's stomach before lashing out, hitting the kid in the jaw. The archer dropped to the ground.

"Heads up!" A voice shouted from across the roof. Sportsmaster turned, ignoring the hero on the ground to find the voice. Cheshire crashed into him, her weight knocking Sportsmaster off his feet. A leather clad figure limped forward, grabbing Red Arrows arm and pulling him to his feet.

"What the hell arrow head!" The figure shouted, red masked eyes facing the archer as Red Arrow came to his senses and spat the blood out of his mouth, wiping away the red trail with the back of his hand. "Keep your head in the game!"

Red Arrow growled.

"Shut up." He muttered. The archer looked up at the sky for a moment before shaking his head. "Just shut the hell up." He added, relaxing his body as several sets of feet landed on the roof.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheshire was like a wild animal, lashing out every time Jason got close. The Red Hood could almost feel the anger rolling off her as she dived forward again, trying to hit the vigilante with everything she had.

Her attacks weren't smooth or strong like they had been. Instead, they were jolted and predictable; Jason easily able to dodge her advances, despite his injured leg. Clearly the assassin was no longer thinking straight, her emotions controlling her. Jason was slightly surprised. Didn't Shadows train to control their emotions?

Then again, who was he to judge? Letting his emotions get the better of him was what caused him to get his ass kicked by Batman after he was first brought back from the dead. Admittedly, he had been facing the Joker at the time, dealing with the murderous clown enough to make anyone insane with anger. But still, Cheshire didn't seem like the sort to let her feelings get in the way of a mission.

Still, Jason wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. The teenage vigilante caught the assassins wrist as the woman once again lashed out at him, her one remaining knife swinging wide. A kick to the stomach sent Cheshire flying into one of the black clad Shadows which were swarming across the roof and leaving Jason with nothing but her black glove as the knife clattered to the ground.

The Shadow immediately jumped to his feet, preparing to lunge at Jason but Cheshire grabbing him, pulling him out of the fight. The woman gave another feral growl and dropped into a crouch, trying to kick out at Jason who was forced to jump backwards. Quickly, the teen dodged, punching a Shadow and kicking another in an attempt to put some distance between them.

Cheshire drew closer and closer. Behind her, Jason could see Roy fighting Sportsmaster, the archer not letting his lack of arrows stop his relentless attack. At least, that's what Jason thought was happening until Roy suddenly froze, Sportsmaster advancing on him.

Cheshire was close enough now to grab at Jason but the teenager was faster, grabbing her wrist in one hand and her neck with the other. In his grasp, Cheshire started to struggle, lashing out and scratching his face with her sharp nails.

Ignoring the blood on his face, Jason used his superior strength to push Cheshire towards Sportsmaster, the woman unable to fight him.

"Heads up!" he shouted towards Sportsmaster, trying to hide the smile as the assassin crashed into the mercenary. Running forward, Jason grabbed Roy's arm and pulled him back onto his feet.

"What the hell arrow head!" He shouted, ignoring the look of disgust as Roy spat blood. "Keep your head in the game!"

There was a growl. Jason found his eyes being drawn upwards.

"Shut up." Roy muttered beside him as the senior members of the Justice League descended on them. "Just shut the hell up."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe it was his own injures and fatigue, maybe it was some sort of Shadow conspiracy. Either way, he wasn't certain how, but Robin was certain the fight was becoming faster and more dangerous by the second.

Dodging attacks was fast becoming a problem, the black clad ninjas working in tandem to drive the teen back. Kaldur was helping as much as he could, but the Shadows were easily forcing the two apart.

And Robin was close to giving up. He was tired, injured and fed up. He could feel his mind slowing down, starting succumb to fatigue and his recent head injury. Since arriving in Taipei, the Outlaws had been under almost constant attack.

A black arm wrapped around his neck, pulling the boy off balance. Robin tried to kick out, to wriggle out of the figures grip but another arm wrapped around his legs, pulling him completely off the ground. Robin thrashed between the two Shadows, trying to get enough room to punch at either attacker. A third Shadow ran forward, catching his flailing wrists as the three began to move towards the helicopter, dragging the struggling Boy Wonder between them. He gave a shout, trying to alert someone to his situation but the Shadow holding him by the neck quickly threw a hand over his mouth.

Then, just as suddenly as he had been lifted into the air, Robin was being dropped again, his head hitting the cold ground. The Boy Wonder gasped as his head started to spin, panicky voices filling the air. Above him, a black shape dived forward, dark cloth spreading out like giant wings. A single thought crossed the boys mind as he tried to make sense of the situation.

The cloth looked like a giant bat.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheshire was down, Sportsmaster gone and the Shadows retreating into the night. The Justice League members quickly taking charge and beating back the strugglers. The fight was….well, it was over. Now it was time for the clean-up.

Beside Jason, Roy slumped to the ground, kicking the remains of his bow out of the way. The archer rubbed a hand across his brow.

"That didn't go well." The archer muttered.

Jason snorted. "It really didn't."

The teenage vigilante glanced across the roof. Aqualad was still fighting the remaining Shadows, acting as backup for Batman as the Dark Knight drove the struggling assassins off the roof top. Several other Justice League members were securing the few Shadows who hadn't been able to get away while the Green Lantern had jumped into the helicopter, shutting the machine down. A small whimper came from a red and black figure. Jason looked at it.

"Crap." He muttered, limping towards the figure.

Robin was a mess, his costume torn in several places; his hair mattered with blood from his head injury. The kid was moving slowly, clearly stunned and whimpering softly.

"Hey kid." Jason said as he sank to his knees beside his little brother. "Don't lose consciousness. You won't like it if you do."

The Boy Wonder slowly turned his head to face Jason and the Red Hood could almost imagine the boys blue eyes focusing on him.

"Not feeling the aster." The kid muttered.

Jason sighed.

"I know you are injured but I will toss you off the roof like I promised if you insist on using made up words."

Robin gave a small grin and sighed, his face relaxing.

"Come on Dickie." Jason muttered, taking hold of one of Dick's arms and hooking it over his shoulder. The young hero responded, reaching up and wrapping his other arm around Jason's neck. Carefully, the Red Hood stood up, lifting Robin up until he was carrying the boy. Dick buried his face against Jason's neck, sighing softly.

"What did I just say?" Jason asked as he balanced his younger brother's weight against his chest.

"Don't make up words?" Dick replied, his voice muffled in Jason's jacket.

"And don't lose consciousness."

"Not whelmed." The kid said.

"Straight off the roof." Jason sighed.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was possibly the strangest ending to a battle Superman had ever seen. Many of his fellow heroes were frozen, watching silently as the vigilante (villain?) code named Red Hood walked towards Batman, Robin clinging to his neck. The Red Hood was limping slightly and looked a lot worse for wear as he faced the Dark Knight.

Batman's face was unreadable as he watched Red Hood approach. Finally, the teenager was standing before the detective.

The two seemed to have a silent conversation, staring at each other from behind their respective masks. Finally the Dark Knight seemed to deflate.

"Take him back to Gotham, Jason." Batman said in a voice low enough for only the Red Hood and any kryptonians in the area could hear.

"I don't work for you anymore, remember?" The Red Hood shot back.

Superman could hear the bones in Bruce's hands crack as the Dark Knight made a fist.

"Jason. Take your brother home." He ordered softly.

There was a pause as Robin groaned slightly, tightening his arms around Red Hood's neck. The Red Hood sighed.

"Dammit." The teen muttered, rearranging his grip on the young hero in his arms.


	18. Chapter 18

Three weeks had gone by, three weeks since Batman had brought his boys home. Dick's injuries had been extensive, several cracked ribs and serious head trauma. Bruises littered the teen's body and face in a black and green map of flesh and several cuts had required stiches. Needless to say, Bruce couldn't send the boy to school in his condition and had been forced to pull out one of his prepared excuses to explain Dick's absence from Gotham Academy. This time it was a getting thrown by a horse. It wasn't the most original excuse he had ever had to come up with (That still belonged to the time he had told the principle that Jason's concussion was the result of him dropping one of Alfred's metal mixing bowls on his head during a prank gone wrong. Alfred had not been pleased with that one) but who was really going to judge him? Bruce was a valued contributor to academy's funding and no one had yet been able to pin any evident of child abuse on him.

Jason's injuries on the other hand, had been less serious. A dislocated knee cap and bruising around the head and shoulders. And well….the teen had been quiet. Possibly quieter then Bruce had ever seen him, not saying a single word as the Dark Knight herded both of his boys onto the javelin, holding his delirious little brother against his chest. The trip from Taipei to Gotham had also been quiet, Bruce musing on the actions the boys had taken while Jason muttered softly to Dick, keeping the boy awake.

Arriving back in Gotham, Bruce had handed his boys over to Alfred who had done what he did best, give Bruce a disappointed look and attend to both the boys.

Bruce had immediately left the older man to his work, getting on the comm to check the situation back in Taipei.

Clark had taken charge of the clean-up, alerting the proper authorities and handing over the captured Shadows for interrogation while the media swarmed over the site, looking for a story.

Black Canary had on the other hand, had taken control of The Young Justice, checking their injuries and giving them all a stern and very public lecture before herding them, along with the young alien Starfire and Red Arrow (who complained loudly) onto the Bio-ship.

The teenagers had been sent back to Mount Justice where their individual mentors would either take care of, or discipline them accordingly. (Ollie had already sent Bruce a message informing him that Dick owed Roy a new ipod. Bruce hadn't yet figured out what the hell that meant.)

After a brief talk with the other Leaguers, Bruce had received all the information he could and was starting to fit the pieces together, to try and understand what the Shadows had been doing. Jason's team hadn't just stumbled on something in Taipei by accident; they had been the target of the Shadows.

Bruce made a mental note to visit the prison and talk with the captured assassins. He wanted to know why they had attacked. What was their end game? What had Ra's Al Ghul been planning by attacking the Outlaws? Of course, Bruce knew the Shadows would be silent but the Dark Knight was persistent. He would find out in the end.

Three days later, Alfred had pulled Bruce from his work to inform him that Jason had disappeared, leaving nothing but a note behind. Dick had been upset but Bruce hadn't been surprised. He did however, wish that the teenager had at least said goodbye to his younger brother. But Jason hadn't done anything bad recently and Bruce knew that he would be doing more harm than good if he tried to force the teen back. The Detective did however; go down to the evidence vault and pull out the brown package, the dictionary Jason had left for Dick after their first meeting and visited Dick in his room, giving the package to his youngest.

The two had talked for hours, starting with the reason why Dick had felt he couldn't come to Bruce about his problems and spiralling off into nothing as the two talked about whatever came to mind. The two had smiled and laughed until Dick had finally fallen asleep. Bruce had smiled down at the boy and decided that for the next few days, Gotham was taking care of herself. Bruce Wayne was staying at home and taking care of his son.

He had told Dick this when the boy had woken up from his doze and asked him why he was still home. Dick had smiled softly at his adopted fathers answer. It seemed to ease the young bird's pain a bit and Bruce knew he had made the right choice.

And now, three weeks later, Dick was in the cave, dressed in his repaired uniform and ready once again become Robin, the Boy Wonder. It would be the first Young Justice meeting the young hero would attend since Taipei, not including the afternoon the boy had spent at Mount Justice with the rest of the team, discussing everything that had happened under the watchful eyes of Black Canary. The rest of the team had been apologetic, well aware of the part they had played in driving their youngest member away and determined to see everything returned to normal. Kid Flash has seemed to be the worst but a few small jokes from Robin had softened the atmosphere, the team realising that their Boy Wonder didn't blame them.

It would be difficult. There was going to be weeks, if not months of counselling but the team would look after each other in the end.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pulling his jacket closer against his body, Jason carefully balanced his pack against his back, his boots sliding against the slippery rocks as he trudged uphill. The wind was cold, stinging every piece of exposed skin as the young man made his way through the rocky terrain and towards his final destination. Jason welcomed the pain. The bite of the cold, the rubbing of his boots, the phantom pain in his knee. The pain was the only thing distracting him from his guilt at once again leaving his little brother and friends

Jason had almost felt like a criminal as he left Gotham. He hadn't been able to stomach another goodbye, instead stealing away into the night, leaving only a note to Bruce to explain. Maybe Dick would be angry, maybe he would decide to never talk to Jason again. In a way, Jason hoped Dick would be angry, would ostracize him for leaving. Maybe the kid would finally accept the truth.

That Jason was dangerous. Too dangerous it seemed, for even a team. He had almost gotten his brother killed. He had almost gotten Roy and Kori, his friends killed.

Thankfully they seemed to be better for parting from him, Roy going back to his solo hero work as Red Arrow while Kori had been given refugee states and had decided to explore the earth on the Justice Leagues suggestion. Both would be ok, as long as they avoided trouble. And avoided him.

And Jason….Jason was going back to the All Caste. Back to Ducra and her teaching. Maybe in a year or so he would once again venture out into the world as the Red Hood. Once again deliver his own personal brand of justice.

But for now he would wait and learn.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The screens formed a perfect arch, surrounding the figure before them. Each screen was alight, too bright to see anything other than the shadow of a watching figure.

"You promised us a new agent Al Ghul. A hero turned towards the light." A male voice said, breaking through the silence. "Instead you give us this….media circus!"

Standing before the screens, Ra's Al Ghul gave a small smile.

"But I have delivered, as promised." He replied.

There was a pause.

"How so?" This voice asked, clearly curious.

"The Detective's oldest, the Red Hood, is on his way to meet with his teacher Ducra. Little does he know, Ducra and the All Caste are my agents. I directed him to her keep long ago, trusting her to train him in ways worthy of the Light. This incident has made him question his abilities and in his foolishness, he has retreated to his teacher, unaware that with every step, he binds himself tighter to us. Soon, he will belong to the Light completely."

The room fell silent again.

"I have been reviewing your reports and I admit, it is an ingenious plan." A female voice said finally. "But as you have demonstrated, the Detective's protégé seems to hold sway over the Red Hood. This could become a problem."

"It may be, but then again, heroes die so easily these days. And with our own agent on the inside, it shouldn't be difficult to eliminate the child should the need arise. We have made our move. Let us see how the heroes react and plan accordingly."

Ra's Al Ghul smiled to himself, clearly enjoying a joke only he could see.

"After all, sooner or later, everyone sees the Light."

_fin  
_


End file.
